Kazakh Foreign Minister attends OIC Ministerial Meeting in Islamabad
NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister – Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi participated in the 48th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) which started on 22 March in Islamabad, reports the Press Service of the Kazakh Foreign Ministry. The main theme of the session was Partnership for Unity, Justice and Development.
The Minister poses for a group photo. Photo credit: Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Established in 1969, the OIC is the second largest organization after the United Nations with a membership of 57 states across four continents serving as the “collective voice of the Muslim world”.
The Ministers exchanged views on the acute problems facing the Muslim world, disarmament issues, the fight against international terrorism, the fight against Islamophobia, xenophobia and the development plan of the OIC until 2025. They also discussed their cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, transport, culture, science and technology, tourism and health, information technology, water resources, environment and climate change.
Addressing the session on behalf of the Asian Group, Minister Tileuberdi expressed his gratitude to OIC Member States for their solidarity and support to Kazakhstan during the tragic events of January and confirmed his country’s commitment to contribute to the process of ensuring global and regional security.
He also drew attention to some important initiatives of Kazakhstan, including the organization of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), the importance of the code of conduct initiated by Kazakhstan to achieve a world without terrorism, and the need to continue interfaith dialogue at the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions to unite efforts in the fight against terrorism, extremism and Islamophobia.
In light of the ongoing conflicts and military clashes between Muslim countries, he highlighted the role of the Astana process on Syria, as well as the relevance of Kazakhstan’s Islamic reconciliation initiative.
The participants in the meeting signed a joint statement after the end of the session where they pledged to work for common interests in regional and international peace and security and to expand cooperation.
On the sidelines, Tileuberdi met with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu to discuss further development of bilateral cooperation .
