Pakistan hosts 48th session of OIC Council of Foreign Ministers

ISLAMABAD, March 22 (KUNA) -- The 48th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) began in Islamabad on Tuesday with the theme of "Partnering for Unity, Justice, and Development." Foreign Minister of Pakistan Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who is chairing the Council of Foreign Ministers, said in the opening session that it was "a matter of pride for us to host this meeting in 2022, which marks the 75th Anniversary of Pakistan's independence." He said, "We commend the leadership role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as the OIC Summit Chair." He pointed out that the OIC was the collective voice of nearly two billion Muslims and a bridge between Muslim nations and the international community.
The Pakistani foreign minister highlighted that the Muslim world is faced with conflicts in the Middle East, prolonged foreign occupation, and denial of the right to self-determination, most notably to the people of Palestine and Kashmir.
He added that Muslim nations' resentment is increasing due to frequent external interventions in their domestic affairs.
"Left unaddressed, these conflicts and disputes undermine our unity and solidarity, expose our countries to foreign intervention, fuel terrorism and extremism, and deflect attention from our development goals and welfare of our peoples," said Qureshi.
Recalling the OIC extraordinary session of the Council of Foreign Minister (CFM) on Afghanistan in December, last year, Qureshi said "we must guard against spoilers that wish to continue destabilizing Afghanistan and using its territory to promote terrorism." A peaceful, stable, inclusive, prosperous and connected Afghanistan is in the best interest of everyone, he concluded.
The Kuwaiti Foreign Minister, Sheikh Dr. Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah, foreign ministers and delegates of other OIC member states and special guests from friendly countries are attending the session. (end) sbk.aa