Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
The Collective Voice of The Muslim World
Date: 01/12/2017
During his participation in the Plenary Session (Beyond the Crisis: Towards a New Regional Balance) of the 3rd Edition of the Mediterranean Dialogues Conference (Rome 2017) held in Rome on 30 November 2017, the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Dr. Yousef A. Al-Othaimeen stressed that the Palestinian cause remains the biggest challenge and that without its settlement, it would be impossible to talk of regional balance and of a new regional system bringing about peace, security and stability.
Al-Othaimeen also stated that one of today’s most daunting challenges in the region is the spread of terrorism and violent extremism, stating that countering terrorism and violent extremism takes much more than security solutions, despite their importance. The root causes of this phenomenon must be addressed and a counter narrative developed. He commended the continued efforts exerted by many Member States in the area of counter-terrorism, chief of which was the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s recent initiative to establish a military coalition with a view to consolidating Islamic countries’ efforts in countering terrorism. He said that the first meeting of the defense ministers of the Islamic Military Coalition on counter terrorism held in Riyadh a few days ago adopted mechanisms for a comprehensive confrontation of terrorism on all fronts: intellectual, media, financial and military.
Al-Othaimeen stated that proceeding from the fact that most of the countries in the MENA region are members of the OIC, ensuring the security and stability of these countries remains, therefore, one of the OIC’s major priorities. He reaffirmed that the OIC is committed to fulfilling its part in addressing security challenges and cooperating with the international community to establish peace and security, achieve prosperity for peoples and build a more stable future for the region.
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