Syria’s OIC membership re-activated

JEDDAH, Mar.8, (ST)-Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates As’ad Al-Shibani has declared that Syria’s membership in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation is re-activated during a meeting of the 57-member group in Jeddah on Friday

He said: “After activating Syria’s seat in the Arab League and its participation in the extraordinary summit in Egypt, Syria’s membership in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation is reactivated today at the emergency ministerial meeting at the organization’s headquarters in Jeddah.”

In this context, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said in a statement issued yesterday: “As a government composed of those who once suffered from Assad’s tyranny before becoming the liberators of our homeland, we reaffirm our firm commitment to the principles of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Islamic cooperation, justice and dignity. We are ready to work side by side with the members of the Islamic world to rebuild Syria and strengthen our region based on our common values of justice, peace and cooperation.”

The statement added: “We look forward to building a future in which the Syrian people regain their rightful place among nations, contributing to a stronger and more united Islamic world.”

On June 24, 2012, the ministerial-level Extraordinary Executive Committee of the OIC held in Jeddah discussed the situation in Syria and made a recommendation to freeze Syria’s OIC membership at a time when the violence of the Bashar al-Assad regime against its own people was increasing. Subsequently, at the 4th Extraordinary OIC Summit held in Mecca on August 14-15, 2012, Syria’s OIC membership was frozen.

Basma Qaddour