Blinken lauds Pakistan for hosting OIC moot

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday termed the 17th extraordinary session of OIC Council of Foreign Ministers an example of the determination to help those in-need, lauding Pakistan for successfully organising the event. "The OIC Extraordinary Session on Afghanistan is a prime example of our collective determination and action to help those most in-need," Blinken said in a Twitter post this evening.

"We thank Pakistan for hosting this vital meeting and inviting the global community to continue cooperating to support the Afghan people," he added. The state secretary also used the hashtag #OIC4Afg in his tweet to express his support and solidarity for the cause. The successful hosting of the 17th Extraordinary Session of the OIC’s Council of Foreign Ministers on Afghanistan drew worldwide applause for Pakistan for making the global community awake to the deteriorating humanitarian and economic situation in the war-torn country.

Earlier, US Special Representative Thomas West also called it a “productive OIC session with important outcomes” – not least the creation of a humanitarian trust fund and the naming of an OIC Special Envoy.
“The US warmly welcomes the OIC’s role and contributions,” West said. European Union Ambassador in Pakistan Androulla Kaminara also felicitated the Pakistani authorities for the same. “Congrats to Pakistan for successful OIC session. The EU has provided €300 M humanitarian aid for Afghanistan. Thanks to member states, total aid from EU more than 70% of total aid,” she tweeted.

Also read: All kudos to Pakistan for successful OIC mootOthers to praise Pakistan for organising the summit included UK High Commissioner in Islamabad Christian Turner, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, and Malaysian Foreign Minister Dato Sri Saifuddin Abdullah. Convened by Saudi Arabia as OIC chair and hosted by Pakistan with 20 foreign ministers, 10 deputy FMs and 437 delegates in attendance, the session decided to establish a Humanitarian Trust Fund under Islamic Development Bank and launch discussions with UN agencies for actions to unlock financial and banking channels for flow of liquidity and assistance.

The world leaders, government functionaries, diplomats and analysts termed the meeting of the 57-member Muslim states’ body a milestone achievement for Pakistan which also manifested its commitment for a stable Afghanistan besides recognition of its stance.