Saudi FM Prince Faisal bin Farhan reaches Pakistan to attend OIC moot

ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan has arrived in Pakistan to attend the extraordinary session of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in Islamabad, ARY NEWS reported.

According to details, Prince Faisal Bin Farhan along with the delegation arrived at Islamabad airport for the OIC-CFMs summit. They were welcomed by Minister for Railways Azam Khan Swat, and Special Representative for Interfaith Harmony Tahir Ashrafi.

Prime Minister Imran Khan has welcomed the participants of the extraordinary session of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in Islamabad over a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

In a message from his Twitter handle, the prime minister said that he welcomes delegations from OIC member states, observers, friends, partners and international organizations to Pakistan.

“The extraordinary session of OIC CFMs is an expression of solidarity with the Afghan [people] & to focus our collective energies on addressing the dire humanitarian situation in Afghanistan,” he said.

PM Imran Khan further said that he was looking forward to speaking at the OIC session.

Representatives from the United States and Taliban-led interim Afghanistan government would attend the extraordinary session of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) scheduled in Islamabad on December 19.

This was confirmed by the Foreign Office spokesman while detailing the 17th Extraordinary Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the OIC, to be hosted by Pakistan in Islamabad.

The first Extraordinary Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers was also held in Islamabad, in January 1980, also to consider the situation in Afghanistan while the last CFM hosted by Pakistan was in 2007.

The session is being convened at the initiative of Saudi Arabia.

The spokesman said that besides the foreign ministers from the OIC member states and observers, participants would also include special invitees from the United Nations system, international financial institutions and some non-member states including the United States, United Kingdom, France, China, Russia, Germany, Italy and Japan, as well as the European Union.

The Afghan Interim Government would also be represented at the CFM, the foreign office said.