Erdoğan calls on Islamic countries to enhance cooperation

ANKARA

 Islamic countries are struggling not only with problems caused by the pandemic, but also with many difficulties, from terrorism to poverty, from internal conflicts to migration, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Nov. 24 and called on Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) members to further strengthen cooperation.

“As members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, we need to strengthen our economic cooperation on the one hand, and provide the necessary political, humanitarian, financial and legal support to our brotherly countries on the other hand,” he said in a video message sent to the 37th ministerial meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Standing Committee on Economic and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC).

“Establishing lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan is our common wish,” he said, stressing that continuing humanitarian aid to the war-torn country should be the organization’s priority in this period.

“As Islamic countries, we should be at the forefront of these efforts. I would like to emphasize once again that we are determined to defend our Palestinian cause, which is the founding purpose of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, to the end,” he stated.

They must work to preserve the status and sanctity of Jerusalem, he said noting that the main objective should be the establishment of lasting peace and stability based on a two-state solution and established international parameters.
Permanent solutions should be produced in the face of problems such as poverty, forced migration, terrorism, and climate change that threaten the future, the president also said.

“We should make the best use of the cooperation platforms we have in this direction and develop joint policies and programs,” he stated.

The organization’s goal should be to increase the share of the mutual trade in total trade to 25 percent, he said and added, “I welcome the launch of the arbitration center that we propose for the resolution of international trade and investment disputes. I believe that with strong ownership, the arbitration center will turn into a preferred institution in a short time.”

Erdoğan said product development studies that will be the subject of trading within the scope of the “50 Islamic Index,” which is another important COMCEC project, also were fruitful.

Stating that the effects of the coronavirus pandemic are felt deeply in all areas of life as humanity, Erdoğan said, “For example, supply-demand imbalances occurring on a global scale have led to high increases in commodity prices.”

This extraordinary course observed in global commodity prices also triggered inflation rates around the world, he said and added that wasting natural resources has jeopardized food production and food security.