By Can Erozden and Muhammed Ali Gurtas

ISTANBUL

The ministerial session of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (COMCEC) began in Istanbul on Monday.

The Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and its 57 member countries' delegations joined the event held by Turkey's Ministry of Development.

The focus for this year's meeting is 'transnational transport corridors'.

Experts attending the meeting will discuss the COMCEC strategy and implementation report, economic developments specific to OIC members, poverty reduction, and transport, communication and agriculture-related issues.

Also on Monday, the COMCEC Project Funding Exhibition will be inaugurated.

The organization has its headquarters in Ankara and is chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Erdogan will make his opening speech at the meeting on Wednesday. The session will end on Nov. 23.

As the highest ministerial platform for the OIC -- the second largest inter-governmental organization after the UN -- the COMCEC aims to improve economic and commercial relations among the member countries.

It was set up during the 3rd Islamic Summit held in 1981 and became operational at the 4th Islamic Summit Conference held in 1984.