OIC has yet to play its 'proper' part

ANKARA, Apr. 16 (MNA) – In a Sat. meeting with Turkish PM Ahmet Davutoğlu, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has been so far unable to function as a ‘center of hope’ for the Muslims. President Rouhani made the remark in his meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu on Saturday in Ankara, while calling for collective efforts by all OIC member countries to employ the potentials of this international organization in favor of strengthening unity in the Islamic world. Rouhani considered ‘Zionism’ and ‘terrorism’ as the main issues facing the region and the Islamic world, expressing confidence that terrorism would be defeated. “All Muslim countries, particularly Iran and Turkey, must make every effort to resolve conflicts in the Islamic world and take measures against Islamophobia and other plots targeting Islam and the Muslims,” he stressed. The Iranian President, while hailing Turkish officials for their efforts in holding the 13th OIC Summit in Istanbul, expressed hope that during the presidency of Turkey over the Summit, cooperation and unity among Islamic countries would further develop. Rouhani further highlighted Tehran-Ankara’s resolve for closer cooperation and expansion of relations, saying “Iran and Turkey are able to help the resolution of many regional issues through consultation and mutual cooperation.” The President deemed necessary the encouragement of the two countries’ banks and private sectors for further cooperation, saying “Iran and Turkey can expand cooperation in trade, economy, tourism, transport and other fields of mutual interest in a bid to hit the level of $30bn in trade volume.” President Rouhani arrived in Ankara late Friday in order to hold meetings with high-ranking Turkish officials following an official invitation by his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Rouhani is also scheduled to meet with President Erdoğan and attend the meeting of high-ranking officials of Iran and Turkey, during which the two sides will sign a number of MoUs in various fields of cooperation.