On August 18, on the second day of his state visit to Saudi Arabia, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a meeting in Jeddah with Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Hussein Ibrahim Taha.
During the meeting, it was emphasized that in the face of modern challenges, this authoritative international structure plays an important role in such aspects as preserving Islamic values, strengthening mutual understanding, political and economic ties between Muslim countries.
Today, the OIC is one of the largest international organizations in the world, uniting 57 countries with a population of 1.7 billion people. Since the entry of Uzbekistan into this organization in 1996, trade, economic, scientific and cultural cooperation has been consistently developing.
An agreement was reached on the exchange of experience in such important social areas as strengthening the institution of the family, increasing the role of women in public life and public administration, including in OIC member countries.
“Uzbekistan is the birthplace of great Islamic thinkers and scientists, our organization is interested in cooperation with the republic in these areas,” the Secretary General noted.
Special attention is paid to the issues of humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan. The possibility of delivering humanitarian aid to this country through the development of a logistics center in Termez was noted. The activities of the educational center for Afghan youth, which operates in this city, were highly appreciated.
Issues of solving environmental global problems, primarily in the Aral region, were discussed. The OIC Secretary General noted that in March of this year in Islamabad, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the OIC member states supported the resolutions developed by Uzbekistan on the Aral Sea region and the interconnectedness of Central and South Asia.
“The drying up of the Aral Sea and Lake Chad are similar and require common cooperation to attract the international community and financial institutions to solve these global environmental problems,” Hussein Ibrahim Taha said.
An agreement was reached on the exchange of scientific and practical experience, coordination of common efforts with the active involvement of international experts to find solutions.
Following the meeting, the President of Uzbekistan invited the Secretary General to pay a visit to Uzbekistan. Hussein Ibrahim Taha accepted the invitation with satisfaction.
