The OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu met with the British Foreign Secretary David Miliband today in London in the framework of his visit to the United Kingdom upon the invitation of the Foreign Secretary.

In their official talks today the Secretary General and foreign secretary have exchanged views on ways and means
to enhance bilateral cooperation between the OIC and the United Kingdom on all issues of mutual concern
as well as overall cooperation between the OIC and the EU.

The Secretary General conveyed to the Foreign Secretary the deep concern of the OIC over the recent worrying developments in the occupied territories of Palestine and particularly in East Jerusalem. He emphasized that in the view of the OIC, the recent decisions by Israel related to the settlements would not only jeopardize the chances of resumption of peace negotiations but also create an atmosphere of confrontation. He took the opportunity to call upon the international community to put serious pressure on Israel to reverse its unconstructive and clearly provocative decisions.

The Secretary General also had the opportunity to brief the Foreign Secretary on the OIC’s efforts to maintain peace and security and to address the humanitarian needs especially in the OIC member states such as Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia. Situation in Yemen and Nigeria also came up in their discussions.

They discussed the OIC’s endeavours in promoting moderation, modernization and socio-economic development in the Muslim world as well as fighting extremism and terrorism and emphasized the need to promote mutual understanding and tolerance. They highlighted the potentials for playing constructive role in defusing tensions and removing misperceptions which have recently affecting the relations between the Muslim World and the West. The Secretary General pointed to his conviction that with its historical relationship with the Muslim World and its deep experience in cherishing understanding and tolerance, the UK could play a crucial role in the better understanding of the positions and concerns of the Muslim World.

The Foreign Secretary and the Secretary General agreed to continue their mutually beneficial engagement and consultations in all the issues and the Secretary General extended an invitation to him to visit the OIC headquarters in Jeddah.

The Secretary General and the Foreign Secretary expressed their satisfaction over the recently established ties of cooperation between the OIC and the British International Development Department, DFID in the field of international development, relief and humanitarian assistance. In this framework, the Secretary General met immediately after his meeting with the Foreign Secretary, with Mr Mike Foster, Minister for International Development. Following up of the implementation of the MoU signed between the OIC and DFID in November 2010 and ways and means of furthering cooperation in humanitarian assistance and development projects were in the focus of the meeting.