OIC meeting stresses interaction with Kabul authorities

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)’s preparatory meeting for the 49th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers held in Jeddah on Sunday emphasized on interaction with the caretaker government of Afghanistan.

Senior officials attended the preparatory meeting for the 49th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers, scheduled to be held on March 16-17 in Nouakchott, Mauritania, at the OIC headquarters in Jeddah.

In his opening speech, OIC Secretary-General HisseinBrahim Taha noted that in addition to the issue of Palestine, Afghanistan situation was also discussed.

The focus of the extraordinary meeting of the Executive Committee that adopted a number of recommendations, including continuing engagement with the authorities in Kabul through Special Envoy, Ambassador Tarig Ali Bakheet, and arranging a second visit for a delegation of scholars.

With regard to the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, the Secretary-General indicated that the General Secretariat and the Special Envoy to Jammu and Kashmir, Ambassador Yousef bin Muhammad Al-Dobaey, are working on implementing the action plan adopted by the Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir during its meeting held in Islamabad on the sidelines of the 48th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers.

According to Arab News, Taha said that the OIC was constantly providing support to Azerbaijan regarding the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh.

He stressed that efforts were also ongoing to contribute to achieving peace, security, stability and development in Yemen, Syria, Sudan, Libya, the G5 Sahel countries and Lake Chad Basin, as well as the Central African Republic, Mozambique, Guinea, Burkina Faso and Somalia.

He commended all efforts to support Iraq’s unity, territorial integrity and reconstruction.

In the humanitarian field, Taha emphasized that the OIC will continue coordinating work in light of increasing challenges.

Taha congratulated Mauritania for heading the 49th session and expressed his gratitude to Pakistan for its efforts in chairing the previous session.

He also praised the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, home to the OIC’s headquarters and chair of the 14th Islamic Summit, for its generous support of the organization’s activities.

sa/ma