Iran’s FM Zarif in Turkey to Attend OIC Meeting
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif arrived in the Turkish city of Istanbul on Monday night to take part in the ministerial meeting of Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) due to be held on Tuesday.
Zarif was welcomed in Istanbul Airport by Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Seyed Abbas Araqchi, who was already in Turkey for the OIC Summit.
Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers, which is the most important executive body of the OIC, is slated to be held today with Zarif in attendance.
This year’s OIC Summit started with expert-level sessions, which were held on Sunday and Monday. A high-ranking Iranian delegation headed by Araqchi took part in the sessions to discuss the upcoming meetings’ agenda.
The Leaders’ Summit is scheduled to be held on Thursday and Friday in the Turkish city.
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hossein Jaberi Ansari earlier told reporters that Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has yet to declare whether he will participate the summit or not.
Based on previous announcements, more than 30 leaders and heads of states will partake the Summit led by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The OIC Summit is held once in every three years. The previous summit was hosted by Egypt in 2013. The permanent Secretariat is located in Saudi Arabia's Jeddah.
The OIC has declared that practical decisions and measures will be taken in the Istanbul OIC Leaders' Summit with the aim of joint Islamic efforts and strengthening the role of OIC both at the region and the world.
The OIC summit will be held under the theme “Unity and Solidarity for Justice and Peace.” A resolution on the Palestinian issue and support for international efforts to relaunch a "collective political process" will be issued at the end of the summit.
The participants will also discuss the ongoing crises and problems in Syria, Yemen, Libya, Afghanistan, Somalia, Jammu and Kashmir, conflicts between Armenia and Azerbaijan Republic as well as other insecure Muslim states.
The OIC is the second largest inter-governmental organization after the United Nations which has membership of 57 states spread over four continents.
The Organization is the collective voice of the Muslim world and ensuring to safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony among various people of the world.
The Organization was established upon a decision of the historical summit which took place in Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco on 25 September 1969 as a result of criminal arson of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied al-Quds (Jerusalem).