Details added: first version posted on 09:26
BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 18. The 49th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was held in Nouakchott on March 16-17, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry told Trend.
According to the ministry, an Azerbaijani delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Fariz Rzayev represented the country at the session.
Rzayev expressed condolences over the powerful earthquakes that struck Türkiye and Syria resulting in heavy casualties. Touching upon the floods in Pakistan and Chad, the deputy minister said that Azerbaijan is ready to support the efforts of the OIC to address this crisis situation.
Rzayev also highlighted the normalization process between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the post-conflict period, Armenia’s provocative steps impeding this process, as well as mine threats.
The deputy minister informed the participants of the meeting about the initiatives of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev as the Chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement, dedicated to the issues of recovery after COVID-19.
Besides, Rzayev informed about the international conference "Islamophobia as a Specific Form of Racism and Discrimination: New Global and Transnational Challenges", held with the joint organization of the Baku International Center for Multiculturalism, the Center for Analysis of International Relations and the G20 Inter-religious Dialogue Forum, timed to coincide with the anniversary of the announcement International Day to Combat Islamophobia by the UN General Assembly March 15.
Following the session, the OIC Council has adopted five resolutions put forward at the initiative of Azerbaijan.
The resolutions on “Eliminating the consequences of the aggression of the Republic of Armenia against Azerbaijan”, “Support for economic and social development activities in the Republic of Azerbaijan’s liberated areas from the occupation” and “Destruction and desecration of historical and cultural monuments and traces of the Islamic religion in the territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan as a result of the aggression of the Republic of Armenia against the Republic of Azerbaijan” resolutely condemned the policy of occupation and aggression committed by Armenia against Azerbaijan for almost 30 years, and express support to the government and people of Azerbaijan in eliminating severe consequences of the occupation, as well as the restoration and reconstruction works.
The resolution on "Solidarity with the victims of the 1992 Khojaly massacre" condemns the mass killings committed against Azerbaijani civilians in Khojaly on February 26, 1992, calling the international community to recognize this massacre as genocide, a crime against humanity, and a war crime, and expresses support for the “Justice for Khojaly” campaign.
The resolution on "Attack against the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Tehran” the OIC member states strongly condemns the armed attack on the embassy of Azerbaijan in Tehran on January 27, 2023, urging the Iranian government to conduct a thorough investigation of the attack, bring the perpetrators to justice and ensure the security of the diplomatic missions of Azerbaijan in the area of Iran in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961.
The resolution also welcomed the statements of the OIC Secretariat and OIC member states condemning the attack on the Azerbaijani Embassy in Tehran.
The previous session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers was held on March 22-23, 2022 in Islamabad.