Dr. Yousef bin Ahmed Al-Othaimeen, Secretary General of the Jeddah-based Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), held several bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Monday, 24 September 2018, in New York, starting with the UN Special Envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura. They discussed recent developments of the Syrian crisis with the OIC Secretary General expressed the OIC interest in reaching a peaceful solution in Syria and addressing the humanitarian situation on the ground. In his meeting with Erna Solberg, the Norwegian Prime Minister, the two sides touched upon the bilateral relations and means of developing them in all fields of cooperation, especially in combating terrorism and extremism. They also discussed the Palestinian Cause and means to support the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). The Palestinian Cause remained, as always, at the top of the topics of discussion at the OIC Secretariat General. He reviewed the same issue during his meeting with Jorge Arreaza, the Foreign Minister of Venezuela, who stressed that his country accords profound importance to the Palestinian Cause. He also noted that in light of the large Muslim community in Venezuela, his government seeks to strengthen relations with the OIC. Al-Othaimeen also met with Ibrahim Al-Jaafari, the Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs, and discussed post-elections developments and recent events in Basra as well as the importance of holding Baghdad Conference for Iraqi Reconciliation (Makkah 2). In this context, Al-Othaimeen reiterated the OIC support for the stability of Iraq. Al-Othaimeen met with Hashim Thaçi, the President of Kosovo, and assured him of the OIC support for his country to gain recognition from its Member States that have not yet recognized it as an independent State in line with the OIC resolutions in this regard. On the other hand, the OIC Secretary General attended the reception hosted by the US President Donald Trump on Monday evening, 24 September 2018, for the heads of delegations participating in the UNGA.
