Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) attended the Regional Summit on Afghanistan and its neighbors, upon the invitation extended by H.E. Abdullah Gül, President of the Republic of Turkey.

In a statement to the Regional Summit on Afghanistan in Istanbul on 26 January 2010, Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General of theOIC, expressed his confidence that the outcome of the meeting will send a strong message to the hard working and good people of Afghanistan that there is a genuine international action and support to bring the agony of violence in Afghanistan to an end. He noted that the presence of the neighboring countries of Afghanistan and OIC in this conference shows that they are all committed not to allow violent extremists in this country and in the region to continue their horrible acts of terrorism and killing innocent people under any justification or pretext.
Ihsanoglu clarified that instability in Afghanistan has had immediate impact on security in the region, and that criminal activities including extremism and terrorism now easily target every state in the region. “Regional co-operation on issues such as narcotics, refugees, cross-border crimes, terrorism, energy, infrastructure and trade is therefore central to regional security and development” Ihsanoglu said.
The Secretary General expressed his believe that the success of international efforts to foster security and economic development in Afghanistan is increasingly intertwined to a meaningful and coordinated role played by states in the region. He also emphasized that the OIC has actively supported and facilitated regional cooperation towards peace and security in Afghanistan, taking into consideration the fact that five neighboring countries of Afghanistan are members of the OIC.

The Secretary General emphasized OIC’s active role in humanitarian efforts for the good of the Afghan people, as well as the OIC’s aim to contribute to the process of national reconciliation involving all elements of the Afghan society. To this end, the Secretary General underlined the OIC’s readiness to assume a prominent role in providing the space for political engagement on Afghanistan, as it was the case in 1980’s.

He concluded his speech by calling for marking Istanbul’s meeting as a turning point in creating new hope for the future of Afghanistan and the region.