ISTANBUL (CIHAN) - The 31st Foreign Ministers Summit of the Organization for Islamic Conference kicked off today in Istanbul. The conference opened a reading from the Holy Quran.
The summit was opened with a speech of Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer as host of the summit in Istanbul`s Lütfi Kirdar Congress and Convention Center. Iranian Foreign Minister Khamal Harrazi will also address the conference as its current president.
During the three-day summit, the OIC members will vote to elect a new secretary general of the organization. Turkish candidate Prof. Dr. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu is heavily favored to win the general secretary position.
Representatives of 56 Muslim countries have gathered to discuss the controversial issues within the Islamic World, including the Israel - Palestine conflict, Cyprus, Afghanistan, international terrorism, the Greater Middle East Initiative and the reconstruction of post-war Iraq. The summit has 110 subject items to be discussed. The Foreign Ministers of countries neighboring Iraq will also come together in Istanbul for the 6th time.
Nearly 2300 foreign representative including international observers and journalists are expected to follow the three-day summit. The OIC Foreign Ministers summit will be a test for Turkey and the Turkish police ahead of the NATO Summit at the end of June.
Security across Turkey is under the spotlight in the lead-up to the NATO Summit that is to take place in Istanbul on June 28-29.
In the summit, Turkey is expected to stress its unique place in the Islamic world as the only Muslim secular country that has reconciled democracy and peace and bridges Eastern and Western Civilizations.
Turkey will seek the support of the IOC to promote the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) from representative level. The KKTC currently has observer status at the OIC.