ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi stressed that OIC is a bridge amongst Muslim nations and the rest of the world, highlighting its role in resolving conflicts in the Muslim world.

Before his opening remarks, Pakistan assumed the chair of the 48th session of the moot with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi chairing the session.

The two-day annual meeting of the 57-member body of Muslim countries is being held under the theme of 'Building Partnerships for Unity, Justice, and Development'. About 46 member states are being represented at the ministerial level in the meeting. The rest will be represented by senior officials.

Qureshi urged the OIC to forge a collective response to meet the challenges faced by the Muslim Ummah, emphasising that the OIC is the collective voice of nearly two billion Muslims.

"It is a bridge amongst the Muslim countries and the international community. Promoting solidarity and cooperation within the Muslim Ummah is one of the central pillars of Pakistan’s foreign policy," he said, adding that Pakistan’s overarching goal as chair of the 48th session of the OIC meeting shall be to further solidify the cooperation amongst the Muslim countries.

"The Muslim world is faced with conflicts in the Middle East, prolonged foreign occupation, and the denial of the right to self-determination, most notably to the people of Palestine and Kashmir," Qureshi said.

"The Muslims of Palestine and the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) are still reeling under abominable subjugation. For the last seven decades, they have struggled to achieve their inalienable right to self-determination," the foreign minister noted.

Resentment in Muslims, he pointed out, is increasing due to frequent external interventions in Muslim countries. "More than two-thirds of all refugees worldwide come from just five countries: Syria, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Myanmar, and Somalia."

Qureshi said Muslim countries are hosting the largest number of refugees [presently].

"While we must work to prevent outside interference in the Muslim World, we alone can find solutions to internal fissures and challenges. The key to ending these conflicts and disputes is comprehensive engagement and cooperation among the Islamic countries," he suggested.

A similar resolve and unity, the minister urged, is needed in countering what he referred to as the ideologies of hate such as Islamophobia and right-wing racism. "Repeated incidents of desecration of the Holy Quran and reprinting of caricatures have seriously hurt the sentiments of Muslims across the world. They also cause great anguish within the Islamic world."

Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha, Islamic Development Bank President Dr Muhammad Suleiman Al-Jasser, Chinese State Councilor, and Foreign Minister Wangi Yi also addressed the session. A video message by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was shown as well.

Taking the stage at the OIC moot, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that maintaining friendly relations lies at the heart of the traditions of China.

"China can never forget the support of the Islamic world in the United Nations," he said, assuring unwavering assistance for the Muslims in Palestine.

"China stands with the Palestinian people for a two-state solution."

Regarding Afghanistan, Yi assured that China stands with the war-torn country for all possible assistance and cooperation for peace, development and reconstruction.

He revealed that China has, so far, donated 1.3bn coronavirus vaccine doses to 50 countries and promised 300 million more doses. "We are also investing $400bn in 600 projects in the Muslim world."

More than 54 countries, he said, are a part of the One Belt One Road Initiative, which is a global infrastructure development strategy adopted by the Chinese government in 2013.

The Chinese minister stressed that clashes between nations should be avoided via negotiations and dialogue, which is also what China is in favour of.

"China stands ready for cooperation with the Islamic world," he vowed, adding that the country is ready to work for regional security, stability, and development.

Talking about the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Yi said that China supports negotiations between the two countries.

During the two-day conference, more than 100 resolutions will be overviewed.

The agenda of the meeting covers a review of the developments affecting the Muslim world since the last CFM held in Niamey in 2020 and efforts undertaken by the secretariat for the implementation of resolutions adopted in previous sessions, especially on Palestine and Al Quds.

The participants would also deliberate on the situation in Afghanistan and India-held Jammu and Kashmir.

Issues pertaining to Africa and Muslims in Europe and developments in Yemen, Libya, Sudan, Somalia, and Syria, will also be taken up at the meeting.

The agenda, moreover, includes Islamophobia and issues related to international terrorism and cooperation in economic, cultural, social, humanitarian, and scientific domains.