Saudi Arabia participates in OIC-EU Forum in Istanbul

Addressing the forum on dialogue between member states of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the European Union (EU) in Istanbul, Turkey, on February 12, Saudi Arabia’s Assistant Foreign Minister Nizar Madani attested to the sincerity of the Muslim world in extending its hand to all peace-loving peoples who support justice. He stressed Saudi Arabia’s determination to contribute to any dialogue working for mutual understanding among nations and peoples, saying it was wrong to try to build a new world on concepts of conflict, animosity, domination and hegemony, rather than cooperation, integration and the promulgation of dialogue and understanding. Islam, he said, rejects terrorist acts of all kinds, and denounced attempts to link them to Islam, pointing out that Muslim countries have demonstrated full cooperation in international efforts to combat terrorism. He declared that it is essential for the international community to reach an agreement on the definition of terrorism, and commented on the sufferings of the Palestinian people as a result of Israel’s aggression against their land and their holy places, stressing that any call for peace in the region is without value unless the Palestinian people regain their rights completely. 

The forum, titled ‘Civilization, Harmony and the Political Dimension’, was the first of its kind, and brought together some 50 ministers from European and Islamic countries.  Among the many officials addressing the forum were OIC Secretary-General Abdulwahid Belkeziz, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States Amr Moussa, EU foreign policy head Javier Solana, and Josep Piqué, Foreign Minister of Spain, which currently holds the EU Presidency.