BAKU, Azerbaijan - Azerbaijan will host the Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit in 2027, and preparations for the gathering are already underway, President Ilham Aliyev said Monday.
Aliyev made the remarks during an Oct. 26 meeting in Baku with OIC Secretary-General Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed. The gathering will be the 16th session of the Islamic Summit Conference, the organization’s highest-level meeting.
Aliyev described Ahmed’s trip as one of his first foreign visits since taking office and said it reflected the close partnership between Azerbaijan and the OIC.
The president said Azerbaijan would remain an active member of the 57-member organization and continue working to strengthen Islamic solidarity as well as interfaith and intercultural understanding.
The two sides also discussed projects planned during Azerbaijan’s chairmanship, cooperation among news organizations in OIC member states and joint efforts to counter disinformation.
Ahmed said he would work to strengthen the OIC’s international standing. He also expressed support for Azerbaijan’s efforts to advance peace in the region, according to accounts of the meeting.
The OIC said preparations were underway for Baku to host the summit and that Aliyev had reaffirmed Azerbaijan’s commitment to ensuring the event’s success.
Sources: Organization of Islamic Cooperation; President of the Republic of Azerbaijan; APA; Report; Vesti Baku.