KUWAIT: Kuwait Foreign Minister Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah led Kuwait's delegation participating in the 49th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), held in Nouakchott, Mauritania (between March 16-17). Addressing the meeting, which focuses on the Palestinian issue, counterterrorism, Islamophobia and solidarity, the foreign minister said the gathering comes at a time when the Islamic world is facing numerous serious challenges amid complicated circumstances, bloody wars, disasters and pandemics across the world.

The minister stressed that these unprecedented challenges, which portend a new stage of hardships, require concerted efforts and Islamic response. "Given the enormity of these hardships and challenges, we need to muster our efforts, harness our energies and unify our stances and policies. Thus, we would raise the hopes of our peoples who have suffered due to despair and oppression amid the absence of a sincere international will to ensure the just solution to their just issues in spite of binding international resolutions which, unfortunately, have mostly become mere ink on paper," he lamented.

Therefore, the Kuwaiti foreign minister called for developing a clear-cut and comprehensive vision for boosting Islamic cooperation, based on setting aside divisions and differences regarding response to these risks and challenges. In this context, Sheikh Abdullah Al-Jaber said the Palestinian issue is considered to be the prime issue for both Arab and Muslim worlds, warning that the region would not be stable, secure and prosperous unless a just and comprehensive solution to this issue was reached.

Regarding Islamophobia and campaigns purposed to undermine the religion of Islam and its values of tolerance and peace, the minister said it is everyone's due responsibility to protect and defend Islam and promote its genuine image. Commending the OIC's great efforts to fight Islamophobia, the minister voiced hope that the meeting would come up with concerted stances and visions for overcoming challenges the Islamic world is facing.

The 49th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation kicked off on Thursday in Nouakchott, Mauritania, on the theme of "Moderation: Key to Security and Stability". More than 40 Foreign Ministers of the OIC Member States are coming together in the Mauritanian capital to discuss an array of political, cultural, social, scientific and humanitarian issues that are of concern to the OIC and its Member States, namely the cause of Palestine and Al-Quds Al-Sharif, Jammu and Kashmir and Afghanistan, as well Mali and the Sahel countries.

Defending Palestine

Established upon a decision of the historical summit held in Rabat, Morocco, on September 25, 1969, following the criminal arson of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) plays a prominent role in promoting Islamic solidarity and defending the Palestinian issue. The OIC is the second largest organization after the United Nations (UN) with 57 member states in over four continents; having been the collective voice of the Muslim world.

It endeavors 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. In 1970, the first ever meeting of Islamic Conference of Foreign Minister (ICFM) was held in Jeddah; having decided to establish a permanent secretariat in Jeddah headed by the organization's secretary general.

Based in Rabat, the OIC, of which Kuwait is a co-founder and effective member, comprises several bodies, mainly the Islamic Development Bank and the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO). The 49th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation kicked off on Thursday in Nouakchott, Mauritania, on the theme of "Moderation: Key to Security and Stability".

More than 40 Foreign Ministers of the OIC Member States are coming together in the Mauritanian capital to discuss a number of political, cultural, social, scientific and humanitarian issues that are of concern to the OIC and its Member States, namely the cause of Palestine and Al-Quds Al-Sharif, Jammu and Kashmir and Afghanistan, as well Mali and the Sahel countries. - KUNA