OIC head İhsanoğlu hands over presidency

JEDDAH

Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu has been holding the post since 2005. AA Photo

The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held a farewell ceremony on Dec. 29 in honor of the outgoing Secretary-general Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu whose tenure ends today. İhsanoğlu has been holding the post since 2005.

The ceremony which was held in Jeddah also welcomed the Secretary-general-elect Iyad Ameen Madani, who would assume office tomorrow. Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Naci Koru, Jeddah Consul General Fikret Özer and high-ranking officials also attended the ceremony.

During the ceremony, İhsanoğlu thanked all those who assisted him in his task in the service of the Islamic Ummah, noting that his work focused on the trust he carried from the day he was elected as the OIC secretary-general.

İhsanoğlu added that he and his colleagues did their best to improve the organization and upgrade its status to the league of influential international organizations. He then remarked that his successor, Madani, would manage the General Secretariat the way he had done and even better.

For his part, Madani said that the nine years during which İhsanoğlu served as secretary-general witnessed tangible improvements for the organization, in addition to visibility at international fora and a better handling of its administration and logistics.