Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry has stressed Egypt’s support for the organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and strengthening its role in defending the interests and priorities of the Islamic world.
This came during a Monday meeting with the ambassadors of the OIC member states accredited to Egypt in the framework of keenness to communicate with the OIC member states, strengthen cooperation relations with them and explain the Egyptian positions on issues of interest to the Islamic world.
Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid, the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that
Shoukry pointed out that Egypt has been advocating for years the importance of supporting and developing the OIC’s working mechanisms to keep pace with the data of the modern era.
This is to assume its international status and its decisions have an impact on the international arena as they express the interests of the peoples of the Islamic world.
He called on the OIC member states to take advantage of the activity of the Cairo International Center for conflict resolution, peacekeeping and peacebuilding (CCCPA) in strengthening international and regional peace and security through building the capacities of states to support cooperation in the fields of peacekeeping, peacebuilding, conflict resolution, dialogue, negotiation and mediation.
He also touched upon the terrorism file, where he stressed the need to adopt a comprehensive approach to address the roots of terrorism and extremism and their causes, pointing to the important role played by Al-Azhar and its Observatory to combat extremism” in refuting terrorist and extremist rhetoric, and promoting moderate thought that is consistent with the correct religion.
On the other hand, in his speech, minister Shoukry touched upon the recent aggravation of the phenomenon of Islamophobia and the discrimination to which Muslims are subjected in the West, including under the names of freedom of opinion and freedom of expression, which is leading to a violent reaction, after which the Islamic world is accused of terrorism.
Shoukry called for concrete and urgent measures to combat such anti-Islamic practices, which seriously threaten the rights of Muslim minorities in European countries and can lead to serious human rights violations.
