Pakistan says Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to attend OIC conference

Islamabad, Mar 20 (PTI) Pakistan said on Sunday that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi would attend the conference of foreign ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) here.

Pakistan is hosting the 48th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of the OIC here on March 22-23, the Foreign Office said in a statement. Foreign Ministers and high-level dignitaries from OIC Member and Observer States are attending the CFM. They will also witness the Pakistan Day Parade on March 23 as Guests of Honour. “State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi of the People’s Republic of China will attend as a Special Guest,” said the FO.

Senior officials from non-OIC countries, senior representatives from the United Nations system, regional and international organisations, including the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council will also participate in the conference. Prime Minister Imran Khan will deliver the keynote address at the Inaugural Session on March 22.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi will chair the CFM. The FO said that the CFM assumes special significance given the backdrop of opportunities and challenges before the Muslim world in the political, security, social and economic spheres. Apart from an appraisal of the global and regional landscapes, the CFM will inter alia reaffirm the long-standing solidarity and support of its membership with the people of Palestine; reiterate its resolve to combat rising Islamophobia; and discuss strategies to counter the effects of climate change, vaccine inequity and erosion in progress towards SDGs.

The Ministerial meeting will take stock of the decisions taken at the 17th Extraordinary Session of the OIC-CFM held in Islamabad in December 2021 to address the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.

The Islamabad Ministerial will consider and adopt over 100 resolutions on a broad range of issues, including peace and security; economic development; cultural and scientific cooperation; and humanitarian, legal, administrative and financial matters. The thematic focus of the Ministerial Conference is on ‘Partnering for Unity, Justice and Development’.

PTI SH CPS