Helping Those In Need Is An Indication Of Civilization, Gul

DAKAR - Turkish President Abdullah Gul said Thursday helping those in need is an indication of civilization.
President Gul delivered a speech at the 11th Summit of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in Dakar as the chairman of the Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC) of the OIC.
"COMCEC happens to be a platform where cooperation among OIC members take place at a high level. Within this framework, many projects have been initiated and I am pleased with our achievements," Gul noted.
"Nonetheless, all achievements by the COMCEC do not represent the actual potential of the OIC," Gul told.
"57 OIC member states make up 22 percent of the world population. However, OIC members states only account for 6.1 percent of income generated worldwide. The OIC includes 22 least developed nations in the world. On the other hand, as a positive note, OIC member states have an accumulation of capital. The OIC had a trade surplus of 300 billion USD in 2006. If we can do a good job, we can make use of the great potential in the OIC," Gul stressed.
"The goal of COMCEC is to develop commercial relations among OIC members and facilitate economic cooperation," Gul indicated.
"As was accepted at the Third Extraordinary OIC Summit and declared in the OIC 10 Year Action Program, COMCEC targets to increase trade among Islamic countries to 20 percent," Gul underlined.
"We have taken steps to establish a Preferred Commercial System among OIC members. There are currently 21 countries in the Commercial Negotiations Committee," Gul underscored.
"Important progress have been made thanks to the support of the Islamic Development Bank in trade relations among OIC members. In 2007, the bank provided credits worth 2.7 billion USD," Gul said.
"The newly established International Islamic Commerce Financing Company as part of the Islamic Development Bank has further developed commercial financing activities," Gul said.
"The COMCEC plans to develop cooperation in the field of transportation. We are evaluating holding a meeting of ministers and high level executives on this issue of transportation," Gul told.
"Helping those in need is an indication of civilization. It is our common responsibility to help those both in and out of the OIC," Gul emphasized.
"An Islamic Solidarity Fund was established at the Third Extraordinary OIC Summit in Mecca. To date, the fund has received donations worth 2.6 billion USD. This amount may not be sufficient to eradicate poverty in the world but it is a start," Gul noted.
"COMCEC will continue to develop projects and programs to strengthen economic cooperation. Turkey, as in the past, will continue to support the activities of the COMCEC and OIC," Gul also said.
At the conclusion of his speech, Gul thanked all OIC member states, OIC Secretariat General and all OIC establishments for contributing to the efforts of the COMCEC.

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