Bangladesh to host next OIC foreign ministers' meet

Dhaka: Bangladesh will be hosting the next Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) foreign ministers’ meeting in the second half of 2018, the Foreign Ministry has confirmed. [caption id=“attachment_3421392” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Sheikh Hasina. PTI[/caption] The senior officials meeting preparatory to the 44th Session of Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of OIC took this decision on Tuesday at Jeddah, bdnews24 reported. The Foreign Ministry also said that a draft resolution was “unanimously” accepted welcoming the bid of Bangladesh for hosting the 45th session of the CFM of the 57-member organisation. Bangladesh’s Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque led Bangladesh at the senior officials meeting. Among a number of resolutions, one on the topic of Rohingya minority was also addressed. Through this resolution the member states expressed their ‘serious concern’ over the situation of Rohingya Muslim population in the Northern Rakhine State of Myanmar. OIC has asked for an early implementation of recommendations given by the Advisory Commission on Northern Rakhine State led by Kofi Annan, and also restoration of Citizenship Act of Myanmar to provide opportunity to Muslim minorities there and sustainable repatriation of Rohingyas from Bangladesh to the Northern Rakhine State. The Bangladesh Foreign Secretary also called on the OIC Secretary-General Yousef A Al-Othaimeen on the sidelines of the meeting.