The preparatory meeting of senior officials for the 49th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which will be on March 16-17 in Nouakchott, Mauritania, kicked off today in Jeddah, During the meeting, the OIC Secretary General, Hissein Brahim Taha, said that the Palestinian cause is witnessing serious developments that the Executive Committee discussed recently, and recommendations will be followed up, adding that the same applies to the situation in Afghanistan, which was the focus of the meeting of the Executive Committee, on which several recommendations were taken, including continuing engagement with the de facto authorities in Kabul through the Special Envoy for Afghanistan, Ambassador Tariq Ali Bakheet, and scheduling a second visit for a delegation of scholars. Taha indicated that concerning Jammu and Kashmir, the Secretariat General and the Special Envoy for Jammu and Kashmir, Ambassador Yousef Aldobeay, are working to implement the action plan adopted by the Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir during its meeting in Islamabad on the sidelines of the 48th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers. The OIC Secretary General renewed the organization's firm support for Azerbaijan, concerning the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh, stressing continued support for efforts to contribute to achieving peace, security, stability, and development in Yemen, Syria, Sudan, Libya, the Sahel countries, the Lake Chad Basin, the Central African Republic, Mozambique, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Somalia, and appreciating the efforts and endeavors to support Iraq's unity, territorial integrity, and reconstruction. He pointed out that the OIC Secretariat General continued its role in the humanitarian field in coordinating humanitarian efforts in light of its increasing challenges and that work is currently underway to hold a donor conference in the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin.
