Hawzah News Agency –The 17th Session of the Emergency Meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation kicked off today, 19 December 2021, in Islamabad, the capital of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, to discuss the grave humanitarian situation in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

Speaking at the opening were H. E. Mr. Imran Khan, the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, H.E. Mr. Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the Pakistani Foreign Minister, His Royal Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, the Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – the Chair of the 14th Session of the Islamic Summit, H.E. Mr. Hissein Ibrahim Taha, the OIC Secretary General, and H.E. Dr. Muhammad Sulaiman Al Jasser, the Chairman of the Islamic Development Bank Group.

The Secretary General extended his sincere thanks to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Chair of the 14th Session of the Islamic Summit, for its initiative to call for holding this important meeting, as part of its firm commitment to support solidarity and joint Islamic action. He also extended his sincere thanks to the government and people of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan for hosting the meeting, and for the generous hospitality extended to the participants, reiterating its full commitment to supporting the causes of the Islamic Ummah and its keenness on promoting peace and security in the region.

In his speech, the Secretary General called upon all the Afghan parties to work to advance the interest of the Afghan people, protect lives, renounce violence, and establish lasting peace, in order to fulfill the aspirations and hopes of the Afghan people for stability, decent living, and prosperity. He stressed in this regard the OIC’s support to the peace process in Afghanistan, and expressed the Organization’s willingness to cooperate with the international and regional efforts aimed at achieving peace for the Afghan people, to harness its capabilities to achieve pace, security and stability in Afghanistan, and to make the necessary contacts in this regard.

Mr. Taha emphasized that the role of the OIC’s role in providing humanitarian aid has become more necessary than ever before, given the scale of the increasing humanitarian challenges facing the Afghan people. In this regard, he called for strengthening the role of the OIC Mission in Kabul and to provide it with the financial, human, and logistical resources so that it could assume its full responsibilities in coordinating humanitarian and development support operations for the Afghan people. He also urged member states and institutions of the Organization to provide humanitarian assistance through the organization's mission.

On the political front, the Secretary General stated that the Organization reiterates the importance of concerted efforts to combat terrorism and acts of violence in Afghanistan, and to ensure that the Afghan territories are not used as a platform or haven for terrorist organizations.