ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has expressed hope that the Pakistan-hosted 17th Extraordinary Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers will meet its primary objective of alleviating the sufferings of Afghan people at this difficult time.
The previous such Afghanistan-related Session was in 1981. It offered to host the Session in the backdrop of a proposal made by Saudi Arabia – the current Chair of the Islamic Summit.
In addition to the 56 Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), important stakeholders like the UN bodies, international financial institutions, and the P-5 have been invited.
In his message, the foreign minister said that we have been engaged in extensive diplomatic outreach in the wake of recent developments in Afghanistan.
The foreign minister said that the convening of the Extraordinary Session is a continuation of these efforts, aimed at containing and reversing the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation and a potential economic collapse in Afghanistan.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that the Session would offer a platform to consider practical and concrete steps to help address the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people and craft a credible mechanism for the delivery of assistance.
The Session would also seek to draw the attention of the broader international community to the unfolding situation in Afghanistan, which has the potential to worsen the security situation, spur instability, cause a mass exodus of refugees, and adversely impact regional and international peace and security, he added.
Qureshi said that a keen proponent of Islamic solidarity and joint Islamic action, Pakistan is a founding member of OIC that values the Organization’s role and contribution.
