OIC Secretary General: "Occupation of the Azeri territories is a problem not of Azerbaijan only but of the whole Muslim world"

Representatives of 90 countries are to attend a session of the Organization of the Islamic Conference's (OIC) foreign ministers in Baku on June 19-21, Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov told a news conference on Sunday, Interfax reports.

"Of the OIC's 57 member-nations, 51 countries have already confirmed their participation in the session. Another 33 countries will be represented by their foreign ministers. The event will also involve representatives of the Council of Europe, the OSCE and other international organizations," he said.

The session's agenda includes 99 issues, he said. "Among other matters, we will discuss the occupation of the Azeri territories and assess the damage caused by Armenia's occupation of the Azeri territories and the destruction of monuments there," the minister said.

The participants in the meeting will also exchange their views on the diplomatic impasse over Iran's nuclear program, the situation in Iraq and the Palestinian territories. "All these problems should be resolved diplomatically," Mammadyarov said.

The Muslim world's role in global energy projects is crucial, OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said at the same news conference. He welcomed Kazakhstan's decision to join the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline.

"We are entering a new epoch of global energy projects with the participation of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkey and other countries of the Muslim world," he said.
Ihsanoglu, however, expressed concern over security worldwide and the situation in the Palestinian territories and other conflict-ridden regions.

"Our aim is not to stay away from ongoing processes. We attach great importance to cooperation in ensuring peace and security worldwide. The Palestinian issue is a common problem facing the Muslim world. We are concerned about continuing terrorist attacks that claim civilian lives," Ihsanoglu said.

"We are all concerned about Iran's nuclear issue, the problem of Azeri refugees from Nagorno Karabakh and the Palestinian issue. All these problems have had a negative impact on security around the globe," he said.

"The occupation of the Azeri territories is a problem of Azerbaijan and the Muslim world as a whole," he said.