Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan Yalcin Rafiyev has attended the 23rd extraordinary session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

Operativ Media reports, citing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The agenda of the extraordinary meeting, held at the OIC headquarters in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, included the election of a new OIC Secretary-General, as well as the issues of Palestine and Al-Quds Al-Sharif.

At the beginning of the event, a decision on the election of the new OIC Secretary-General was unanimously adopted. According to the decision, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, who was the sole candidate for the post, was elected as the new OIC Secretary-General.

Addressing the meeting, Rafiyev congratulated the new Secretary-General on his appointment and stated that the Republic of Azerbaijan would provide him with full support during his tenure. At the same time, gratitude was expressed to the outgoing OIC Secretary-General, Hissein Brahim Taha, for his effective work during his term.

In his speech, the deputy minister touched upon the development prospects of the OIC as an important international institution and the tasks ahead. Recalling that Azerbaijan will host the OIC Summit of Heads of State and Government in 2027 and assume the chairmanship of the organization, Rafiyev expressed readiness to work closely with the new Secretary-General to further expand cooperation among member states and promote the organization's interests.

The deputy minister highlighted Azerbaijan's consistent and principled position on the Palestinian issue on the agenda, the importance of respecting the rule of international law, as well as the assistance provided by Azerbaijan to the Palestinian people, particularly in the fields of education and healthcare. Rafiyev noted that the official visit of Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa to Azerbaijan in July this year opened up new opportunities for economic cooperation between the two countries.