AZERBAIJANI FOREIGN MINISTER ADDRESSES OIC ELEVENTH SUMMIT
Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov Friday addressed the Eleventh Summit of the Organization of the Islamic Conference held in Dakar, Senegal.
E. Mammadyarov, in particular, said: “The current situation in a number of the OIC Member States, which face numerous risks and threats, remains a source of deep concern to us. To this end, the Member States, as mandated by the OIC Ten-Year Program of Action, need to reaffirm their commitment to Islamic solidarity and increase their support to those in need”.
Expressing his concern regarding the situation in Palestine, the Minister said: “Azerbaijan reaffirms its support to brotherly people of Palestine and their efforts to achieve peace, stability, and establishment of sovereign and independent Palestinian State. He also said “I would like to express our support to the latest initiatives by the President of Pakistan launched at bilateral level with India in moving forward the resolution of Kashmir dispute, and to express our concern with the continuing unjust isolation of Turkish Cypriots”.
Expressing his gratitude to the Islamic Ummah and the OIC Secretary General for their support of the just cause of Azerbaijan in its conflict with Armenia, and to eliminate the consequences of the armed aggression by Armenia, which has resulted in the occupation of 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s territory, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister urged the international community to condemn Armenian aggression and support Azerbaijan in its efforts to restore its sovereignty over the Nagorno-Karabakh and other occupied regions.
E. Mammadyarov appealed to all member states of the OIC to vote on in favor of the draft resolution entitled “The situation in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan” to be voted on in the plenary session of the United Nations General Assembly.
The Minister said: “Azerbaijan will be hosting several international conferences on tourism. Using this opportunity, I would like to invite the Member States to participate in the International Forum for Silk Road Tour Operators to be held in Sheki on 14-15 April 2008, and in the Conference on Religious and Health Tourism to take place in Nakhchivan on 20-25 May 2008. It is my privilege also to invite the Member States to take part in the International Forum on Expanding the Role of Women in Cross-Cultural Dialogue, organized by the initiative of the First Lady of Azerbaijan and cosponsored by ISESCO and UNESCO to be held in Baku on 10-11 June 2008. Azerbaijan is also planning to host the 4th Session of the Islamic Conference of Ministers of Higher Education and Scientific Research in September 2008”.
Saying that the elaboration of the new Charter will establish strong background for OIC’s future development, E. Mammadyarov noted: “Economic, cultural and humanitarian fields remain important dimensions of cooperation among the Member States”.
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