Turkey's Candidate For Secretary General Of OIC, Ihsanoglu Sees His Chance High

ISTANBUL (CIHAN) - Turkey`s candidate for the office of the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Conferences (OIC), Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said that his chances of being elected for the office were `high`.
The Director General of the Islamic Conference Organization Research Centre for Islamic History, Art, and Culture (IRCICA), Istanbul, Prof. Ihsanoglu said in a press statement during the 31st Summit of foreign ministers of the Organization of Islamic Conferences, in which the new Secretary General of OIC will be selected, in Istanbul on Monday.
Ihsanoglu said that the results of the election would be announced at the end of the summit and he added that he aimed to increase the credibility and effectiveness of the organization, and stated the need to bring more dynamism to the Organization.
There are also two candidates, one of whom is from Malaysia and the other from Bangladesh, but the Turkish government has made intense diplomatic efforts for the selection of Ihsanoglu.
The office of Secretary General of OIC works as an executive branch of the Organization and the Secretary General is selected at the summit of foreign ministers of the OIC. Secretary Generals are selected for 4-year terms and can be elected for a second term.
Prof. Dr. EKMELEDDIN IHSANOGLU
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu is a professor of the history of science, member of numerous international academic institutions, experienced in organizing international symposia on history, art and culture. He is a patron of the art of calligraphy.
Experience
- Director General of Islamic Conference Organization Research Centre for Islamic History, Art, and Culture (IRCICA) Istanbul,
- President of International Union of History and Philosophy of Science, (IUHPS/DHS),
- Secretary of the Islamic Conference Organization International Commission for the Preservation of Islamic Cultural Heritage (ICPICH), Istanbul,
-Vice Chairman of Al Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation, London, UK,
- Founder and Chairman of Turkish Society for History of Science (TBTK), Istanbul, 1989,
Awards and Honors
-"l`Ordre National du Mérite" conferred by the President of the Republic of Senegal, 2002,
- Medal of Distinguished State Service conferred on by the President of the Republic of Turkey, March 2000.
- Appointed "Ambassador at Large" by the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1997.
- "Independence Medal of the First Order" conferred by Jordanian King Husein Bin Tallal, 1996,
- Awarded 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 the Arab Republic of Egypt in 1990.