The Delegation of Kazakhstan took part in the Ministerial Meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, held in the capital of Niger

The Delegation of Kazakhstan took part in the Ministerial Meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, held in the capital of Niger

On November 27-28, 2020, the 47th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) under the theme “United against Terrorism for Peace and Development” kicked off in Niamey (Republic of Niger). 

The Kazakh delegation was headed by H.E. Mr. Berik Aryn, the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Saudi Arabia, and the Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan to the OIC. The Kazakh delegation also included Mr. Talgat Shaladnbay, the Consul General of Kazakhstan in Jeddah, Deputy Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan at the OIC.

The President of the Republic of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou, addressed the opening ceremony, where he lamented that Muslims are the victims of more than 82% of global terrorism and therefore said the theme of this year’s session is very timely considering the present challenges, especially in the OIC Member States.

Besides, the Republic of Niger assumed Chairmanship of the OIC Ministerial Council, while Kazakhstan, Oman, and Palestine were elected as the vice-chairmen.

During the OIC ministerial meeting, the participants, along with the main topic of the fight against terrorism, exchanged views on a wide range of pressing global problems, such as the settlement of crises in Yemen, Syria, Libya, Iraq, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Agenda of the Forum also included disarmament issues, fighting Islamophobia and defamation of religion, economic sanctions against the OIC Member States, Muslim minorities’ plight in the world, the OIC-2025 program of activities, etc. The delegations also considered developing cooperation in the economy, culture, science and technology, health care, information technology, water resources, environment, and climate change.

In his speech, Ambassador Berik Aryn drew attention to the importance of the Code of Conduct Towards Achieving a World Free of Terrorism initiated by Kazakhstan. He also pointed out the need to continue interfaith dialogue within the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions to unite efforts in the fight against terrorism, extremism, and Islamophobia.

He also presented a vision of Kazakhstan on overcoming the consequences of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. He expressed Kazakhstan’s readiness to join Muslim states’ efforts led by the OIC in this direction.

H.E. Mr. Berik Aryn noted the need to develop science, technologies, and innovations to counter modern challenges. In this vein, he stressed the relevance and timeliness of the initiative of the Leader of the Nation Nursultan Nazarbayev on the establishment of the OIC-15 Group, uniting 15 leading Muslim countries in the field of science and technology.

Highlighting the aggravated problem of food security in the context of COVID-19, the Ambassador emphasized the importance of unleashing the full potential of the Islamic Organization for Food Security and expanding its members.

Referring to the ongoing conflicts and armed clashes in some Muslim countries, the Kazakh representative called on the OIC Member States to actively participate in implementing the Islamic Rapprochement process, initiated by the First President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev at the OIC Istanbul Summit in 2016.

Following the outcomes of the 47th Session of the OIC Ministerial Council, the Member States adopted Niamey Declaration and more than 90 resolutions in the political, economic, scientific, technical, humanitarian, legal, and organizational spheres, and expressed the consolidated position of Muslim countries on major global and regional problems. The Declaration also noted the importance of the implementation of the “OIC STI Agenda 2026”, adopted at the First OIC Summit on Science and Technology in Kazakhstan in 2017.

The relevant resolutions of the OIC Ministerial Council reflected the initiatives of Kazakhstan on Islamic Rapprochement, the rehabilitation of the former Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, the restoration of the Aral Sea region, the universal declaration on a nuclear-free world, the CICA, the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, IOFS, AIFC, OIC-15, the celebration of 1150-Anniversary of Abu Nasr Al-Farabi.

One of the crucial points of the current session of the OIC Ministerial Council was the election of a new OIC Secretary General for the period 2021-2026. The representative of the Republic of Chad, Hissein Ibrahim Taha, under the rules of the OIC, will assume office in November next year.