Kazakh Foreign Minister urges OIC countries to support Astana's candidacy to hold EXPO 2017

  ASTANA. August 16. KAZINFORM Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan, Chairman of the OIC Foreign Ministers' Council Yerzhan Kazykhanov attended the IV Extraordinary Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation on Thursday, according to the Kazakh MFA's press service.

The event, which was chaired by the King of Saudi Arabia Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, was attended by heads of state, government and foreign ministers of 57 states.

The Summit was devoted to the most pressing issues of strengthening Islamic solidarity amid dynamic and important political changes in the Islamic world. The delegations discussed the current situation in Palestine, the Syrian issue, the situation of Muslims in Myanmar, the situation in Mali and the Sahel region.

Yerzhan Kazykhanov highlighted the approaches of Kazakhstan on topical issues on the OIC agenda, including in the context of the country's chairmanship of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization, which comes to an end. In line with the President Nursultan Nazarbayev's vision of the future of the Islamic society, Kazakhstan has consistently promoted comprehensive modernization based on three priorities: regional stability, gradual political modernization and developing the potential.

Kazykhanov raised the issues of OIC's cooperation with the Central Asian states, support to Palestine and Afghanistan, poverty reduction and development of food security.

In conclusion, the Kazakh Minister urged the OIC member countries to support candidacy of Astana to hold EXPO in 2017.