OIC welcomes the Saudi-Iranian agreement to restore ties

The Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Hissein Brahim Taha, while addressing the opening session of the 49th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, [OIC] kicked off on Thursday, 16 March 2023, in Nouakchott, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, on the theme of “Moderation: Key to Security and Stability. In his speech, he expressed his sincere congratulations to Mauritania for hosting and chairing this session, wishing it a success.

He also expressed his appreciation to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan for its chairmanship of the previous session.

The Secretary-General also expressed his appreciation and gratitude to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in its capacity as the host country of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and President of the 14th session of the Islamic Summit, for its generous support to the Organization under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, may Allah preserve them. In the same connection, he welcomed the agreement between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran to resume diplomatic relations and reopen their embassies, as this step will contribute to strengthening the pillars of peace, security, and stability in the region and gives new impetus for cooperation between the Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

Mr. Hissein Brahim Taha renewed his sincere condolences and solidarity with Turkey and Syria following the earthquake that struck several areas in the last month, appealing once again to provide them with more humanitarian aid.

Taha also stated that the serious challenges facing the Palestinian cause require unifying positions and doubling efforts, in order to engage the responsibility of the international community towards putting an end to Israeli crimes and violations, implementing the resolutions of international legitimacy, providing international protection for the Palestinian people, holding Israeli officials accountable for the crimes committed against the Palestinian people, through the available international justice mechanisms, as well as supporting efforts to re-launch a multilateral political process to achieve the vision of a two-state solution, based on relevant United Nations resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.

The Secretary-General added that the Organization is following closely the developments unfolding in the international arena, as well as the implementation of the ministerial resolutions, and the outcomes of the Executive Committee meeting, held last January.

He also underlined the efforts of his Special Envoy to Afghanistan, Ambassador Tarig Ali Bakheet, who visited Afghanistan and met in Kabul and Kandahar with leaders of the de facto authorities, to whom he conveyed the message of the Organization and its Member States about the commitment of the Member States to support Afghanistan on the humanitarian level, the importance of reviewing the recent decisions taken by the Afghan de facto authorities regarding girls’ education and women’s work, and the need to make more efforts to counter terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. I

n this regard, he stressed the Organization’s full commitment to supporting the right of women in Afghanistan to education and work, in line with the principles of the true Islamic religion. He also underlined that the humanitarian aid will continue through the Organization's office in Kabul, in coordination with King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Action.

OIC also highlighted that the Organization is committed to defending the Jammu and Kashmir cause.