Muslim countries should overcome their disputes: Turkey
At Organization of Islamic Cooperation meeting in Morocco, Turkish foreign minister calls for less friction among countries
Foreign Minister of Turkey Mevlut Cavusoglu makes a speech during the event marking the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Rabat, Morocco on December 12, 2019.
( Fatih Aktaş - Anadolu Agency )
RABAT, Morocco
Turkey's foreign minister on Thursday called for Muslim countries to overcome disputes among themselves so the Islamic world can work better together.
"We have to overcome bilateral disputes so that they don't become an obstacle to achieve the goals of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation," Mevlut Cavusoglu said at 50th anniversary celebrations of the OIC in the Moroccan capital Rabat.
Cavusoglu stressed that "reform of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation is necessary and we must all work to achieve this."
Top officials and representatives of the Islamic troika of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Gambia and the ministerial troika of Bangladesh, the United Arab Emirates, and Niger are taking part in the anniversary celebration, along with representatives from various Islamic countries and organizations.
The OIC was founded on Sept. 25, 1969 in Morocco in reaction to an arson attack on Jerusalem’s historic Al-Aqsa Mosque that August. It currently has 57 member countries and is headquartered in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
*Bassel Barakat contributed to this report from Ankara
