Azernews.Az

The Istanbul International Secretariat of the Islamic Conference Youth Forum for Dialogue and Cooperation (ICYF DC) has said Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev is named "Head of State of the Year" within the OIC area in a survey that involved more than 170 young people from 50 universities in 40 countries, Azerbaijan's state news agency AzerTac reported.

The results of the survey were announced at the closing ceremony of the OIC Third Model Summit in Kuala Lumpur, organized by the ICYF DC and the International Islamic University Malaysia.

The main criteria used to select "Head of State of the Year" out of the 57 leaders of the OIC member states included efforts to care for the Islamic heritage and strengthen unity among the OIC states, as well as activities aimed at boosting socio-economic development and cementing the international positions of the OIC countries.

Chairman of the OIC Model Summit's Steering Committee and Vice Rector of the International Islamic University Malaysia, Professor Abdulaziz Bergut, who announced the survey results at the closing ceremony, said President Aliyev won the nomination for what Azerbaijan achieved under his leadership. This particularly refers to the country's election as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, which it used as a platform to defend the interests of OIC states; Baku's hosting a constitutional conference of the Islamic Financial Security Network to assist Palestine and a donor conference to assist Al-Quds; Azerbaijan's supporting the OIC efforts in ensuring Islamic solidarity, as well as his initiative to repair the Shamakhi mosque, the first mosque in the South Caucasus and a pearl of Islamic civilization.

"Head of State of the Year" award will be handed to the Azerbaijani President during a visit by a delegation of the 3rd OIC Model Summit to Baku.