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Minister Shahid holds diplomatic meetings on sideline of OIC session

Mariyam Malsa
28 November 2020, MVT 09:01
Minister Shahid meets with Secretary General of Muslim World League. PHOTO: FOREIGN MINISTRY
Mariyam Malsa
28 November 2020, MVT 09:01

Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid met with the foreign ministers of several other countries on the sideline of the 47th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

Minister Shahid departed for Niamey, Republic of Niger, on Monday to attend the session, which is being held from November 27 to 28.

During his transit in Saudi Arabia, the foreign minister held a meeting with Secretary General of the Muslim World League, Dr Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, in Riyadh. The minister completed his journey to Niamey with Saudi Arabian foreign minister Faisal bin Farhan.

Following his arrival in Niger, Minister Shahid met with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and deliberated on further cooperation in several areas including trade, agriculture and education. Notably, the minister expressed gratitude regarding Turkish Airlines' resumption of flights to Maldives, noting that the move boosted the tourism industry.

Minister Shahid also congratulated Senegalese Foreign Minister Aisatta Tall Sall on her appointment and iterated Maldives readiness to engage in endeavours to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

Additionally, after meeting with Mauritania's Foreign Minister Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, Shahid noted that Maldives and Mauritania maintained a close collaborative relationship despite the geographic distance between the two countries.

In order to pursue justice for the Rohingya people, foreign minister Shahid and his Gambian counterpart Mamadou Tangara agreed to enhance cooperation between the legal teams of both countries to strengthen the case filed at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Furthermore, during his meeting with Afghani Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar, Minister Shahid commended the government of Afghanistan and expressed hopes for the success of the Afghan Peace Process. The minister highlighted that peace in Afghanistan was essential to ensuring peace in South Asia.

During his participation at the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers Meeting, Minister Shahid will deliver a national statement briefing the Member States on the COVID-19 situation in Maldives, along with government policies implemented to mitigate the effects of the pandemic.

The meeting this year is held under the theme “United against Terrorism for Peace and Development”.

The Council, which meets once a year, considers the implementation of the general policy of the organization by adopting decisions and resolutions on matters of mutual interest, and reviews the progress of the implementation of the decisions and resolutions adopted during the previous Islamic Summits and Councils of Foreign Ministers Meetings.

The decisions of the Council of Foreign Ministers are implemented by the General Secretariat of the OIC.

Maldives became a member of the OIC in 1976, and has since actively participated in the activities and meetings of the Organization. The OIC has 57 Member States, comprising mainly of Muslim majority countries.

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