BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 27. On August 27,
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Yalchin Rafiyev participated in the 23rd extraordinary meeting of
the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic
Cooperation (OIC), the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said.


The extraordinary meeting, held at the OIC headquarters in
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, included the election of the new OIC
Secretary General, as well as issues concerning Palestine and
Al-Quds Al-Sharif on its agenda.


At the beginning of the event, the relevant decision on the
election of the new OIC Secretary General was adopted unanimously.
According to the decision, the only candidate for the position,
former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of
Mauritania Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, was elected the new OIC
Secretary General.


Speaking at the meeting, Y. Rafiyev congratulated the new
Secretary General on his appointment and stated that he would
receive the full support of the Republic of Azerbaijan during his
tenure. At the same time, Hissein Brahim Taha, whose term as OIC
Secretary General has ended, was thanked for his effective work
during his tenure.


The speech addressed the prospects for the development of the
OIC as an important international organization, as well as the
tasks facing it. The Deputy Minister recalled that Azerbaijan will
host the OIC Summit of Heads of State and Government in 2027 and
assume the chairmanship of the organization, noting that the
country intends to work closely with the new Secretary General in
the interests of the organization and further expanding cooperation
among member states.


Regarding the issue of Palestine on the meeting’s agenda,
Azerbaijan’s consistent and principled position, the importance of
respecting the rule of international law, as well as the assistance
provided by Azerbaijan to the Palestinian people, particularly in
the fields of education and healthcare, were highlighted. Y.
Rafiyev noted that the official visit of Palestinian Prime Minister
Mohammad Mustafa to Azerbaijan in July this year opened up new
opportunities for developing economic cooperation between the two
countries.