ANKARA - Turkey will compete with Malaysia and Bangladesh for the office of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) secretary general in the OIC 31st Conference of Foreign Ministers that will take place in Istanbul, Turkey between June 14 and 16.
Turkey has nominated Prof Dr. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the Director General of Islamic Conference Organization Research Center for Islamic History, Art, and Culture (IRCICA), for the office of the OIC secretary general. Sources said that Ihsanoglu had a high chance to be elected as OIC secretary general.
OIC secretary general will be elected from Asia group this year. Ten of 18 countries in this group welcome candidacy of Ihsanoglu.
Ankara, which has carried out an intensive diplomacy in Turkey and abroad, aims OIC to turn into an international organization protecting interests of Islamic world.
Sources said that Turkey's close relations with west and east and its regional experiences would contribute much to the organization and noted that Turkey's undertaking the position of OIC secretary general would be an important development for representation of Muslims living in Europe.
Africa, Asia and Arab groups undertake the office of OIC secretary general subsequently.
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu was born in 1943. He is married with three children. He is international officer, Turkish professor of history of science, member of numerous international academic institutions, experienced in organizing international symposia on history, art and culture. Ihsanoglu supported development of the art of calligraphy.
Designation:
- Director General of Islamic Conference Organization Research Center for Islamic History, Art, and Culture (IRCICA) Istanbul, Turkey, 1980.
- President of International Union of History and Philosophy of Science, (IUHPS/DHS) 2001.
- Secretary of the Islamic Conference Organization International Commission for the Preservation of Islamic Cultural Heritage (ICPICH), Istanbul, Turkey, 1983-2000.
- Vice Chairman of Al Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation, London, Britain, 1998.
- Founder and Chairman of Turkish Society for History of Science (TBTK), Istanbul, 1989.
Awards and Honors:
- ''Commandeur de l'Ordre National du Merite'' conferred by the President of the Republic of Senegal, 2002.
- The World Prize for the Book of the Year, presented by H.E. President Seyed Mohammad Khatemi, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 2000.
- Dr.h.c. from Mimar Sinan University, Istanbul, Turkey 1994, Dowling College, Long Island, New York, U.S.A., 1996, Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan Republic, 2000, University of Sofia, Bulgaria 2001, University of Sarajevo, 2001.
- Medal of Distinguished State Service conferred on by the President of the Republic of Turkey, March 2000.
- ''Independence Medal of the First Order'' conferred by Crown Prince Hassan Bin Tallal of Jordan, 1996.
- Rewarded with the ''Certificate of Honor and Distinction'' by the Organization of the Islamic Conference, 1995.
- Received the medal of ''Distinction of the First Order'' from the President of Arab Republic of Egypt in 1990.
Ihsanoglu speaks English and Arabic fluently and has a working knowledge of French and Persian languages.
(EÖ-BRC) 12.06.2004