Roundup: OIC summit pledges tough efforts to solve critical issues

The 13th Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Summit in Istanbul of Turkey concluded on Friday with participants pledging commitments to fight against terror and support for Palestine.

As a result of two-day high level talks among more than 30 leaders of Islamic countries, member states have approved documents that focused on Palestine, Arab-Israeli conflict, Muslim minorities in non-OIC countries, terrorism, extremism and violence.

Turkey, which assumed the term presidency from Egypt in the summit, said it would do its utmost to realize goals listed in the OIC's Ten-year Program of Action with the help of member states that represented world's estimated 1.7 billion Muslims.

"There are some problems in the Islamic World. These problems should be resolved through dialogue," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters after the meetings.

He pointed out that Turkey will work during the 2-year term presidency to transform the OIC into a more effective organization.

Speaking at the summit, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said member states have agreed to set up a center in Istanbul to tackle terror and crimes.

"It would be helpful to establish a structure among member states that will strengthen and institutionalize cooperation against terror and other crimes," he said.

Just before the summit, OIC member states' foreign ministers had also discussed recent developments in countries such as Syria, Yemen, Libya, Afghanistan, Somalia, Mali, Pakistan, Azerbaijan and Bosnia Herzegovina.

ANALYSTS DIFFER ON OUTCOME

Burhanettin Duran, a political scientist at the Ankara-based Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research, said the OIC has become a critical organization that Muslims turned to amid cycle of violence that led to instability and conflict in the region.

"Istanbul summit has reinvigorated expectations for opening a new era of cooperation and solidarity in the Middle East," he commented.

However, others are not so enthusiastic about the outcome of the summit.

"It was another typical OIC meeting," Gokhan Bacik, professor of international relations at Ipek University in Ankara, described.

"Big words, no concrete outcome... a pattern of almost 40 years," he added.

Last month, the OIC held its Extraordinary Summit in Jakarta, resulting in a declaration of support by member states on the recognition of Palestinian people's self-determination, including their rights to independence with Al-Quds Al-Sharif, or Jerusalem, as its capital city.

Similar statements were also approved in Istanbul summit on Friday.

Kemal Ozturk, Turkish analyst, lamented that there have not been serious developments despite similar pledges made in previous OIC meetings.

"Without an agreement among Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt and Indonesia, nothing will come out of OIC," he said.

He underlined that everybody is aware of problems among these heavyweight countries in the OIC.

DIVERGENCES REMAIN

The summit was marred by differences among major member states, Saudi Arabia and Iran, which have opposing views on regional issues, especially in Syria and Yemen.

Both Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani were present at the summit.

The troubles between Turkey, the host country, and Egypt, the holder of previous term presidency, also complicated efforts at the OIC summit.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi skipped the summit and instead sent his foreign minister Sameh Shoukry to the event for the handover ceremony of the chairmanship to Turkey.

Shoukry immediately left the venue after he delivered his speech, without waiting to hear the address delivered by Erdogan.

Egyptian foreign minister's visit marked the first high-level visit by Egypt to Turkey since the ouster of former President Mohammed Morsi in July 2013.

Turkey was strongly opposed to Morsi's ouster, and said it would consider Sisi administration as illegitimate.

The OIC, with a membership of 57 states, is the second largest intergovernmental organization after the United Nations. Endit