Kazakhstan highlights OIC’s vital role in ensuring peace in Muslim states

Astana: Kazakhstan stressed the significance of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) role in ensuring peace and security in several Muslim countries during the 15th Session of the Islamic Summit Conference in Gambia on May 4-5, reported the ministry’s press service.

A Kazakh delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Alibek Bakayev and other event participants addressed urgent topics on the international agenda, including promoting the Middle East process and ensuring sustainable development in the OIC space.

Bakayev, in his speech, emphasized the relevance of the Kazakh initiative to create the OIC-15 Dialogue Platform, uniting 15 leading Muslim countries in science and technology, as well as the increased role of the Islamic Organization for Food Security. Particular attention was paid to Kazakhstan’s initiative to create an International Biosafety Agency.

On the sidelines of the summit, Bakayev held talks with the foreign ministers of Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Gabon, Togo and Senegal to discuss prospects for strengthening bilateral relations.

As a result, the meeting participants adopted the Banjul Declaration and the Final Communiqué, which reflected the Kazakh initiatives.

The OIC (until 2011 – the Organization of the Islamic Conference) was created in 1969. The General Secretariat of the OIC is located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

At present, the OIC has 57 member states with a total population of more than 1.7 billion people. It is the second largest international organization after the United Nations (UN). Kazakhstan became a member of the OIC in December 1995.