In a preparatory meeting for the OIC conference of foreign ministers to be held in March, OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha said Afghanistan, along with Palestine, was an area of focus of the extraordinary meeting of the Executive Committee, which has adopted a number of recommendations.
According to an OIC statement, the recommendations include continuing engagement with the current government of Afghanistan through the special envoy, Ambassador Tarig Ali Bakheet, and arranging a second visit for a delegation of scholars.
“The same applies to the situation in Afghanistan, which was the focus of the extraordinary meeting of the Executive Committee that adopted a number of recommendations, including continuing engagement with the de facto authorities in Kabul through the Special Envoy, Ambassador Tarig Ali Bakheet, and arranging a second visit for a delegation of scholars,” the statement reads.
The Senior Officials Meeting in preparation for the 49th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the OIC Member States, scheduled to be held on March 16-17, 2023 in Nouakchott, Mauritania, kicked off yesterday February 5, at the headquarters of the OIC General Secretariat in Jeddah.
“Right now, no country can move forward on its own. In my opinion, the request of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to the world to interact with the Islamic Emirate is reasonable,” said Hasibullah Hanafi, a religious cleric.
Some analysts said that OIC can play an important role in improving Afghanistan’s relations with the world.
“The reasonable, positive, and closest approach is the way of contact, which has useful effects both for the recognition of the Islamic Emirate and for meeting the economic demands of the Afghan people,” said Janat Fahim Chankari, a political analyst.
“If the Organization of Islamic Cooperation really wants formal interactions with Afghanistan, it should first ask Islamic nations to recognize the government of Afghanistan,” said Faizullah Jalili, another political analyst.
Following the establishment of the Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) opened its office in Kabul in the month of Hoot of 1400 (solar year).
OIC has 57 members including Afghanistan.