The Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, has concluded a visit to Tunisia, during which he attended the opening of the International Congress on the ‘Employment of Traditional Handicrafts within Architectural Projects.' During the inauguration ceremony of the Congress on Saturday, which was also attended by the Tunisian Minister of Trade & Handicrafts Ridha Touiti, the OIC Secretary General emphasized the need to pay greater attention to our heritage and the real capabilities of our societies to achieve development and face up to economic crises that rock the world today. During his visit, a press release of the OIC issued on Sunday said Ihsanoglu held meetings with a number of officials in Tunisia, notably with Foreign Minister Abdul Wahab Abdullah. The two officials discussed the best ways of strengthening relations between the OIC and Tunisia. The Secretary General expressed the OIC's desire to build cooperation relations with the Arab Maghreb Union in line with cooperation relations already established with other regional groupings. The Secretary General also met with the Minister for Religious Affairs, Abu Bakr Al-Akhzouri, with whom he discussed the possible areas and the prospects of developing cooperation, particularly in relation to the unification of the Hejri calendar. The two officials confirmed their mutual desire to find a way to identify a sound scientific method to unify the beginning of the Islamic lunar months and the date of religious celebrations.
