Azernews.Az

Ulviyya Poladova

Read more

The official opening ceremony of the 20th Session of the Conference of the Parliamentary Union of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Member States took place in Baku on June 24.

The high-level event gathered parliamentary delegations from OIC member states to discuss cooperation, regional challenges, and ways to strengthen inter-parliamentary dialogue across the Islamic world.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev highlighted the country’s long-standing relations with the OIC and expressed appreciation for the organization’s continued support.

"We have always felt the consistent support of the OIC," Ilham Aliyev said in his address to the participants of the 20th Session of the Conference of the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States.

The head of state emphasized that during Armenia’s nearly 30-year aggression against Azerbaijan and in the post-war period, the OIC demonstrated a firm position by adopting resolutions and statements that strongly condemned the occupation, supported Azerbaijan’s just cause, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, and welcomed the reconstruction and development works in Azerbaijan's liberated territories.

"I would like to especially highlight the activities of the OIC Contact Group on Armenia’s aggression against Azerbaijan. We highly appreciate this stance of the brotherly countries," President Ilham Aliyev added.

According to him, Azerbaijan has always attached great importance to the protection of Islamic values, which form an integral part of our national-spiritual values and serve as a moral pillar and guide for billions of people around the world.

"We put forward various initiatives to promote the principles of solidarity and mutual respect in Islam and regularly host events of the OIC and its institutions," the President emphasized.

The head of state also noted that today, the incitement of hatred against Muslims, the targeting of Islamic cultural heritage, and the insult to Islamic values have gained widespread momentum across the world.

"Islamophobia is not merely intolerance towards Muslims; it is a dangerous trend that threatens mutual understanding and peaceful coexistence. It is regrettable that certain political circles in the West, as well as international institutions such as the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, promote anti-Islamic sentiments, attempt to equate Islam with extremism and terrorism, create biased perceptions of our religion, and portray it as a source of threat," the President stated.

After regaining independence, Azerbaijan became one of the first former Soviet republics to apply for membership in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). On December 8, 1991, it was granted full membership during the 5th Summit of Heads of State and Government held in Dakar.

It is also worth noting that the organisation originally known as the Organisation of the Islamic Conference changed its name to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation during the 38th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers, held in Astana, Kazakhstan, on June 28–30, 2011.

In September 1992, during the next session of the UN General Assembly, the relevant article "on the Armenian- Azerbaijani conflict" was introduced in the final document of the traditional coordination meeting of the ministers of foreign affairs of OIC member states. The resolution "conflict Armenia and Azerbaijan" was adopted at XXI conference of Ministers of foreign affairs of OIC member countries held in Karachi in April, 1993.

At that time, with limited and poor informative capabilities, it was one of the crucial issues for Azerbaijan, which was exposed of the aggression by the Armenia, to get a support from Islamic Ummah for his just position and to convey grievous consequences to the world community. The delegation from the OIC already visited Azerbaijan in 1991 to study the problem and explore the peaceful means for settlement of the conflict. Until then, the OIC had had consultations with the UN, Armenia, Türkiye and Russia.

It should be noted that the visit of Nationwide Leader Haydar Aliyev to Saudi Arabia in July 1994, his Umrah pilgrimage of Holy Mecca and productive meetings during the visit increased the interest of all Islamic nations towards our country, creating a foundation for the further development of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the OIC. The meetings were held by Nationwide Leader with the OIC Secretary General in Baku in November 1994, his participation in the 7th Summit of Heads of States and Governments of the OIC member countries in Casablanca and his speech upon the kind request of the OIC Secretary General as well as some member countries on behalf of Asian countries group have strengthen the position of Azerbaijan within the organization.

Currently, Azerbaijan is one of the most active and influental members of the OIC. Azerbaijan has hosted several OIC conferences in recent years. For example, at the conference of Ministers of labour of OIC member states held in Baku in 2013, the Baku Declaration on the creation of new opportunities among member states, cooperation in the field of Labour, Employment and social protection was adopted.

One of the most interesting aspects of Azerbaijan's position within the OIC is that it is also one of the more explicitly secular states in the organization. Azerbaijan frequently stresses that its state system is secular, even as it affirms the importance of Islamic values in its national and moral life. This combination gives the country a somewhat distinctive place within the OIC.

Azerbaijan’s simultaneous membership in the OIC, OSCE, and the Council of Europe illustrates its broader strategy of multidimensional engagement. By maintaining active roles in diverse international organizations, the country strengthens its global visibility while preserving room for maneuver in an increasingly complex geopolitical environment.