Mauritania's Ismail Ould elected new OIC secretary general

Mauritanian diplomat and former foreign minister Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed has taken charge as the new secretary general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), succeeding Hissein Brahim Taha.

He was elected to the post by OIC member states during the 23rd Extraordinary Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers at the organisation's headquarters in Jeddah yesterday (27 August) and later took the oath of office in the presence of the member states' foreign ministers.

In an address, the newly elected secretary general said his election was the greatest honour of his career and the highest distinction he had received after more than three decades of international, regional and national service.

He also said that his profound pride in this trust was unparalleled, as was his sincere determination to live up to the expectations of the organisation's member states and to prove through actions, not just words, that his selection as secretary-general was justified.

For her part, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the State of Palestine Dr Varsen Aghabekian Shahin thanked the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its invitation to convene the meeting and for its steadfast support of the Palestinian cause.

She pointed to the attacks by Israel, the occupying power, on the countries of the region, and emphasised that Israel has become emboldened to act against the countries of the region because it has enjoyed impunity for decades.

The Palestinian minister called on member states to take practical, political, and legal measures to hold accountable the perpetrators of settler crimes and those who stand behind and finance them.

She stressed that the incursions, violations, and attempts to alter the historical and legal status quo in Al-Quds (Jerusalem) and the Al-Aqsa Mosque constitute a direct threat to peace and stability in the region.