Foreign ministers of key members may skip OIC meet in Pakistan

International ministers of key Muslim-majority nations together with Indonesia and Morocco might skip the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation assembly organised by Pakistan on March 22-23.

International ministers of Morocco (a founding member of the OIC) and Indonesia (the largest Muslim-majority nation) are unlikely to attend the assembly, ET has learnt.

The international minister of Oman – India’s oldest strategic accomplice within the Gulf – can be anticipated to skip the assembly and as an alternative go to India on March 23-24, ET has additional learnt. As a substitute of the international minister, Muscat would ship a consultant for the assembly.

India’s strategic ties with Oman obtained a leg up in February with the visits of Oman’s defence secretary and navy chief and the 2 sides additionally held a joint air power train, as New Delhi and Muscat intention to widen their partnership within the Northern Indian Ocean area. By the way, Oman had earlier pushed for an observer standing for India on the OIC.

Indonesia and Morocco are additionally anticipated to depute officers or diplomats for the assembly. Egypt, whose international minister is visiting Pakistan for the OIC meet, is anticipated to deliver stability to the result of the meet and attempt to soften any anti-India rhetoric.

Whereas Indonesia is rising as India’s key strategic accomplice in Southeast Asia with a particular concentrate on defence, counter-terror and connectivity, Morocco has turn into New Delhi’s key hyperlink in Northern Africa for outreach to Western Africa, apart from being a accomplice in countering terrorism.

Over the previous few years, Indonesia, as a key member of the OIC, has not favoured a robust place on Kashmir. Equally, Syria had additionally not backed the OIC place on Kashmir. Algeria and Iraq have additionally remained lukewarm to Pakistani efforts to internationalise the Kashmir subject.

Nationwide safety adviser Ajit Doval is presently in Jakarta for strategic dialogue to widen partnership on a wide selection of points together with terrorism, radicalisation, defence partnership and maritime safety.

Whereas the Central Asian states stay lukewarm to Pakistan’s efforts to castigate India on the OIC, India’s ties with Saudi Arabia and the UAE have reworked to the strongest in historical past. The latest UAE-India Complete Financial Partnership Settlement is proof of this.

Representatives of 46 Muslim nations have thus far confirmed their participation within the forty eighth OIC Council of International Ministers assembly in Islamabad, Pakistan has claimed. The convention coincides with the Pakistan Day parade, held on March 23 yearly.