Islamic Cooperation Organization Summit; Syria, Yemen, and Jihadist Groups
The summit of the leaders of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation will be held in Istanbul with the participation of leaders from more than 30 countries worldwide. Hassan Rouhani, President of Iran, and King Salman of Saudi Arabia will also participate in this summit.
On Thursday (April 14/26 Farvardin), the 13th summit of the member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation will begin its work in Istanbul with the motto “Unity and Solidarity for Justice and Peace.” At this summit, the King of Saudi Arabia, the presidents of Iran, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and other Islamic countries will participate.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of Turkey, awarded Saudi Arabia’s King the highest state medal of Turkey in Ankara. He told King Salman: “Your wise management in a region where we have faced numerous challenges has guaranteed peace, tranquility, and regional stability.” King Salman described Saudi Arabia and Turkey’s relations as “strategic.”
Read more: Khamenei: Saudi Arabia should apologize to the Islamic nation
The important topics of the Istanbul summit have been announced as the civil war in Yemen, Syria, the threat posed by jihadist groups and combating terrorism, the Palestinian territories issue, and the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute and Azerbaijan.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation is the largest and oldest trans-regional organization with 57 member states and is considered the largest intergovernmental institution after the United Nations. Its current presidency is held by Egypt. Its permanent secretariat is in Jeddah and its website operates in three languages: French, English, and Arabic. Its summit is held once every three years.
Hassan Rouhani’s Three-Day Visit to Turkey
Hassan Rouhani, President of Iran, will deliver a speech on the first day of the Istanbul summit. On the evening of Wednesday (25 Farvardin), before leaving Tehran, he told reporters at Mehrabad Airport: “Today in the Islamic world, we are facing the problems of terrorism, extremism, and sectarianism, and unfortunately the trespassing of some countries into other countries, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation is one of its goals to address the issue of Islamic nation’s unity and the resolution of differences in the Islamic world.”
The King of Saudi Arabia received a medal from the host.”
The Issue of “Iran’s Regional Interventions”
In the 47-year history of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, its periodic summit has been held once in Tehran in 1997.
Prior to the start of the summit, a meeting of foreign ministers of Islamic countries was held in Istanbul, one of whose topics was “Iran’s regional interventions and Hezbollah.”
Read more: Al-Jubeir: If Iran changes its behavior, the doors of relations will open
The Iranian News Agency (IRNA) reported that Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran’s Foreign Minister, at the meeting on Tuesday (April 12/24 Farvardin) in Istanbul, protested against “a four-clause anti-Iran plan and a clause against Lebanese Hezbollah in the draft declaration of the summit that was presented by Saudi Arabia with the support of some of its allies.” IRNA also emphasizes: “The approval of anti-Iran and anti-Lebanese Hezbollah clauses shows Saudi Arabia and some aligned countries’ instrumental abuse of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation for their destructive political purposes.”
The 13th Conference of Islamic Countries in Istanbul will continue for two days. According to the Anatolia News Agency, Turkey is seeking to pass a declaration that it has drafted and addresses “the issues and problems of the Islamic world and solutions.”
