DJIBOUTI: Saudi Arabia has been striving to find solutions to the major issues affecting the Muslim Ummah, Deputy Foreign Minister Prince Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah said in Djibouti yesterday.
“One of the successes of the Kingdom’s efforts for peace and security in the world will manifest in the opening of the International King Abdullah Center for Interfaith Dialogue in Vienna on Nov. 26, which aims to create a bridge of mutual understanding between various religions and cultures,” Prince Abdul Aziz said in an address at the opening of the 39th meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Djibouti yesterday.
The prince also proposed former Saudi minister of culture and information Iyad Madani as the next secretary-general of the OIC. He conveyed the greetings of Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal to the conference participants.
The theme of the conference ending tomorrow is "Solidarity for Sustained Development."
President of the Djibouti Republic Ismail Umar Jeela, who hosted the event declared his support for the Rohingya Muslims of Myanmar and the Palestinians suffering under the Israeli occupation.
Prince Abdul Aziz identified the Palestinian problem as the crux of all issues in the region. “It is very important, therefore, to find a comprehensive and just solution to this conflict in line with the resolutions of legitimate international bodies and the Arab peace initiative endorsed by the Islamic and Arab summits,” the prince added.
The international community should also take political and moral responsibility to exert pressure on Israel to give Arabs their rights and refrain from the arbitrary and inhuman acts against the Palestinians, the prince said.
The Kingdom has also been helping other countries to lighten their economic problems, he said.
Saudi Arabia has been calling for steps to tackle Islamophobia spreading in various parts of the world, the prince said.
The conference called on all concerned parties to respond to the efforts of Lakhdar Brahimi to make peace in Syria and welcomed the formation of the Syrian opposition bloc in Doha.
Abdullah center to foster good will
