Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid has concluded his official visit to Niger. The purpose of the visit was to participate in the 47th Council of Foreign Ministers Meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
This year’s Council of Foreign Ministers Meeting, held under the theme “United against Terrorism for Peace and Development”, adopted a number of decisions and resolutions on matters of importance to the Islamic world; and reviewed the progress of the implementation of the decisions and resolutions adopted during the previous Islamic Summits and Councils of Foreign Ministers Meetings. In addition, former Foreign Minister of Chad Hissein Brahim Taha was elected as the organisation’s new Secretary-General. He will assume his duties in November 2021 after the term of the incumbent Secretary General Dr. Yousel Al Othaimeen expires.
During the meeting, Minister Shahid also delivered a statement. His statement focused on number of issues faced by the Muslim Ummah, including the issue of Palestine, plight of the Rohingya people, the situation in Western Sahara, terrorism and the rise of Islamophobia. He called for greater unity and solidarity in confronting these challenges in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Minister Shahid also met with a number of his counterparts within the OIC, including the Foreign Ministers of Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan, Mauritania, Senegal and The Gambia. He also held meetings with the Heads of Delegations of the UAE, Indonesia, Uganda, Mozambique and Morocco.
During the visit, Minister Shahid conducted high-level bilateral meetings with senior officials from the Government of Saudi Arabia, conducive to enhancing the strong bilateral relationship between the Maldives and Saudi Arabia. Minister Shahid met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, the Minister of Tourism of Saudi Arabia and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Fund for Development Ahmad Aqil al-Khatib; and the Secretary General of Muslim World League Sheikh Dr. Muhammad Alissa. At the meetings, Minister Shahid briefed the Saudi officials on the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Maldives and the subsequent challenges of the pandemic on the Maldives economy. Ongoing development cooperation projects, and future prospects for collaboration and exchange between the Maldives and Saudi Arabia were also discussed during the meetings.
The Maldives became a member of the OIC in 1976, and since then has actively participated in the activities and meetings of the organisation. The OIC has 57 member states, comprising mainly of Muslim majority countries.