ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan arrived in Medina on Thursday to represent Pakistan at the 14th Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit to be held in the holy city of Makkah today (Friday).After paying respects at the Roza-e-Rasool (PBUH) and offering prayers there, the Prime Minister was to depart for Jeddah. According to a PM House press statement, the Prime Minister is representing Pakistan at the 14th OIC summit to be held in Makkah today (Friday).The title of the conference is ‘Makkah Summit: Together for the Future’. Chaired by Saudi King Salman, the conference is aimed at developing a unified stance on current issues and events in the Islamic world. Ahead of the Summit, a meeting of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers was held in Jeddah. It deliberated on adopted outcome documents for the Makkah Summit.Meanwhile, Arab and Muslim leaders began gathering in Makkah for three summits, as host Saudi Arabia seeks to rally support against Iran after a series of attacks that have sparked fears of a regional conflagration.Saudi Arabia, a staunch US ally, geared up to host leaders from across the Arab and Muslim world for emergency Gulf and Arab summits and a meeting of heads of state from Islamic nations.Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Kuwait’s emir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, and Sudan’s new military council chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan were among the other leaders arriving in the kingdom on Thursday, Saudi state media reported. Riyadh called the talks to discuss the standoff with Iran and ways of isolating Tehran amid fears of a military confrontation. “Tehran’s support for Huthi rebels in Yemen is proof of Iranian interference in other nations’ affairs and this is something that... Islamic countries should reject,” Saudi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Assaf told foreign ministers from the 57-member OIC in Jeddah overnight. Assaf said attacks on oil installations must be addressed with “firmness and determination”.Contrary to expectations, Iran was represented at the meeting, with a delegation headed by Reza Najafi, director general for international peace and security affairs at the Islamic republic’s foreign ministry.Saudi Arabia is hosting three summits in an apparent bid to present a unified front against Tehran. Qatar’s state media reported that its Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser al-Thani also arrived in Jeddah on Thursday, Doha’s highest-ranking official to visit the kingdom since the start of a two-year-old Saudi-led boycott.The summits coincide with the last few days of Ramadan, when Makkah throngs with hundreds of thousands of pilgrims. The summits will take place at night, as day-long fasting ends at sunset.
06-01-2019, 02:19 AM
PM reaches Saudi Arabia as leaders gather for OIC summit
العرض الشجري