Al-Sisi: Egypt keen on enhancing OIC to overcome challenges

CAIRO, Jan 16 (KUNA) -- Egypt's President Abdelfatah Al-Sisi on Tuesday stressed his country's eagerness to support the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and enhance its role to overcome ongoing challenges facing the Islamic world.
This came during a meeting between Al-Sisi and OIC Secretary General Dr. Yousef Al-Othaimeen earlier today, said presidential spokesman ambassador Bassam Radhi.
During the meeting, Al-Sisi stressed the importance of concerted efforts by Islamic states so as to protect their interests and capabilities, Radhi added.
Al-Sisi also referred to the necessity of moving effectively to address ongoing crises and combat increasing risks of terrorism which seeks to destroy countries and separate their institutions, the spokesman noted.
For his part, Al-Othaimeen affirmed OIC's full support for Egypt in combating terrorism and the extremist thought.
He expressed his great appreciation to the Egyptian efforts aiming to boost solidarity among Islamic states and to back the organization's role in this regard.
Radhi pointed out that the meeting discussed some dossiers on the Islamic world, topped with the Palestinian cause.
In this point, OIC chief commended Egypt's recent stance towards the Jerusalem issue and its keenness on assuming its historical responsibilities through its endeavors within the framework of the UN to reject the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
He also applauded Egypt's efforts to fulfill the Palestinian reconciliation, stressing the importance of this move in unifying ranks of Palestinians and pushing forward the peace process, Radhi noted.
The meeting also reviewed developments in some Arab countries facing crises, Radhi elaborated.
Al-Othaimeen praised efforts exerted by Egypt in order to reach peaceful settlements to crises which the Middle East region is going through, in addition to its eagerness to maintain stability and security in the region, which suffers from unrest and challenges.
The talks focused on means of intensifying Arab-African-Islamic cooperation to contribute to protecting common interests, achieving development in these countries and meeting aspirations of their peoples, Radhi concluded.
In a related context, Egypt emphasized that it looks forward to contributing to the enhancement of OIC's role in defending the legitimate rights of Muslim nations.
This was announced during a meeting between Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri and Al-Othaimeen, Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Shukri voiced his gratitude and support for the key role by Al-Othaimeen aiming to upgrade action mechanisms inside OIC and develop its performance.
The minister referred to ongoing challenges facing the organization, mainly the increasing danger of terrorism and several crises across the Muslim world, the statement added.
Shukri affirmed the significance of participation of OIC chief in the Al Azhar Conference in Support of Al Quds (Jerusalem) hosted by Egypt.
The two sides also shared views on situations in Iraq, Syria, Libya and Yemen, in addition to the Palestinian cause and ties with Africa.
In his meeting with OIC chief, Arab League Secretary General Ahmad Abul Gheit called for intensifying cooperation and coordination between the league and the organization in the upcoming period to deal with common challenges.
The meeting dealt with major challenges and threats facing the Arab and Muslim world, said a statement by the league.
Abul Gheit underlined the necessity of cooperation between the two sides to deal with issues and topics featuring high on the agendas.
Among these issues and topics are the Palestinian cause, the armed conflicts in Syria, Libya and Yemen, countering terrorism and extremism, combating hate speech against Arabs and Muslims, and the halt of violations against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.
The league's chief stated that the talks covered the latest developments in the Palestinian issue in light of the US President's declaration of recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and the relocation of the US embassy to Jerusalem.
The talks included contacts and movements made by Arab and Muslim officials on international and regional levels, as well as the joint efforts by the two organizations to prevent Israel from obtaining a membership in the Security Council, he indicated.
In this regard, the two officials reviewed ongoing Arab efforts and contacts within the framework of resuming Arab League's ministerial meetings slated for next month on the status quo of Jerusalem. (end) mfm.rg.hm