Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Mohamed Asim has reaffirmed that the Maldives would remain committed to the ideals and values of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and that of the Muslim Ummah.
Delivering a statement at the ongoing 45th Session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers, held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Minister Asim stated that the OIC must remain united in tackling the global problems faced by Muslim countries, including Islamophobia, discrimination and violent extremism.
He said that partnerships across the various regions represented in the OIC are crucial to tackling the issues faced by the Islamic world. Minister Asim also reiterated the historic position of the Maldives in supporting an independent and sovereign State of Palestine, and upheld the Maldives' strong objections to the unilateral recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Minister Asim urged member states of the OIC to work with the various parties to find a lasting and sustainable solution to the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar, and thanked the Bangladesh government for organising a field visit to the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox's Bazaar for attending delegates.
Lastly, Minister Asim spoke of the need for smaller countries to be represented in the decision-making bodies of the United Nations, based on equitable geographic distribution and outlined the basis for the Maldives candidature for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for the 2019-2020 term.
OIC is an international body comprising of 57 countries with large Muslim populations. The Council of Foreign Ministers is an annual gathering of the foreign ministers of member states to deliberate on issues of concern to the Islamic world. The Maldives became a member of the OIC in 1976.