MAE: Melescanu participates in session of Foreign Ministers Council in Abu Dhabi

Minister of Foreign Affairs Teodor Melescanu attended the 46th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OCI) from Abu Dhabi , where he had a series of bilateral meetings with representatives of the member countries of this body. The high Romanian official's participation in this meeting took place at the invitation of the Secretary General of the Organization, Dr. Yousef bin Ahmed Al Othaimeen, reads a release of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent to AGERPRES. "The participation of the head of Romanian diplomacy at this event in Abu Dhabi has been part of the steps made in strengthening Romania's relations with the Arab and Muslim states, both from a bilateral and multilateral perspective. Dialogue between Romania and OCI, encouraged by the traditional and friendly relations existing between our country and the member states of the organization, gained new valences in 2017, as a result of the accreditation of the Romanian Ambassador to Riad, as a special representative of Romania for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation," the MAE release pointed out. At the meeting, they debated on topics of major interest for the participating states, such as combating terrorism and extremism, managing the migration phenomenon, complex issues related to the deployment of numerous Muslim groups/communities, and the eradication of poverty. The speakers advocated greater cohesion among the member states of the organization and stressed the importance of continuing the implementation measures of the ICI Action Plan 2016-2025. They have also shown that promoting the spirit of brotherhood, diversity and tolerance, which is characteristic of the Muslim world, can be a valuable tool for managing the serious problems faced by the region. Minister Melescanu's participation in the meeting also offered the possibility of organizing bilateral meetings with the heads of delegations from the Republic of Maldives, the Union of the Comoros, Brunei Darussalam, Sierra Leone, the Republic of Suriname and R.F. Nigeria. On this occasion, the officials also discussed relevant aspects of bilateral relations, as well as cooperation within international bodies. Specific possibilities for expanding cooperation in sectors of common interest have been identified, the MAE release says.   During the talks with the head of the Emirates diplomacy, the host of the meeting, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the parties expressed satisfaction with the positive dynamics of the bilateral relationship in 2018 and agreed on the need to continue the political-diplomatic dialogue to strengthen bilateral relations. On the sidelines of the meeting, the head of the Romanian diplomacy also had discussions with the heads of delegations from Palestine, Mauritania, Niger, Libya, Burkina Faso, Tunisia, Albania, Sultanate of Oman, Cote d'Ivoire, Yemen and Kazakhstan. AGERPRES (RO - editor: Marius Fratila; EN - editor: Cristina Zaharia)

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