Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, where our Republic will preside over next year, Ekmeleddin Ikhsanoglu addressed the Permanent Council of OSCE. He noted that the goals and objectives of the OIC do not greatly differ from the goals and objectives of the OSCE, since both organizations are aimed to resolve matters of international peace and security.
In this regard, the observed strengthening of cooperation between the OIC and the OSCE is a positive trend, in which Kazakhstan, presiding nowadays in OSCE plays a significant role. In 2011 the Republic of Kazakhstan can be a real bridge to the further development of cooperation.
In addition, the OIC Secretary General drew attention to the rise of Islamophobia. He considers that it is necessary to make coordinated effort to combat intolerance and discrimination against Muslims, as it is a serious threat to stability, peace and security.
“We can not ignore the fact that religion was included in the agenda of international relations by extremists who create tensions and threaten stability, harmony and peace, with provocation and incitement on religious grounds,” said Ihsanoglu.
According to him, it is time for the OSCE and the OIC to combine efforts, obvious and goal-oriented, to motivate people, starting with the masses in order to reject the extremists.
In this regard, Secretary General called on the OSCE to pay special attention to the “imminent threat to the stability, cohesion and security” and welcomed the intention to consider ways to combat discrimination against Muslims in the High-Level Conference on Tolerance and Non-Discrimination in June in Astana.
