OIC: Mehriban Aliyeva’s becoming First VP great symbol of women empowerment
Appointment of First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva as the First Vice-President of Azerbaijan is a major step forward and a great symbol in promoting the empowerment of women, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Yusuf bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen said in an exclusive interview with Trend.
Empowerment of women is a fundamental objective of the OIC, as stipulated by its Ten-Year Program of Action, according to him.
The OIC secretary general said the program represents a model for involving women in the decision-making process in the OIC member states.
“I wrote the First Lady a congratulatory message immediately after her appointment as the first vice-president,” he added.
On February 21, 2017, President Ilham Aliyev signed an order to appoint Mehriban Aliyeva as First Vice-President of Azerbaijan.
Yusuf bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen also hailed Baku’s hosting the forthcoming Islamic Solidarity Games between May 12 and 22.
The Games are considered to be among the biggest sports events within the OIC Member States, which manifests not only Islamic solidarity in action, but also shows the true image of Islam, a religion of peace, harmony and tolerance, according to him.
“People today are living in a world which is frequently shaken by violence, indiscriminate extremism; radicalization and injustice. In other words, intolerance is sown and cultivated in various aspects of life: religious intolerance, such as Islamophobia; cultural intolerance in disrespecting differences; and intolerance towards the oppressed who seek refuge,” he noted. “In this context, promoting peace, development and solidarity is more than timely and crucial.”
Hence, declaring 2017 the Year of Islamic Solidarity in Azerbaijan is very appreciated and important, said Yusuf bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen, adding that this solidifies the status and tremendous efforts made by Azerbaijan – an important OIC Member State – in strengthening bonds of unity, harmony, friendship and peaceful coexistence among people in the Islamic world and elsewhere, regardless of their different origins or cultures.
This is exactly in the same spirit that Baku will host the 4th Islamic Solidarity Games in 2017, added the OIC secretary general.
Touching upon the Armenia Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Al-Othaimeen noted that the OIC has supported the implementation of the UN Security Council resolutions on the conflict and welcomed all diplomatic efforts and initiatives, including of the OSCE, for the conflict’s settlement.
"The OIC is also in close contact with regional and international stakeholders, and has recently established a Contact Group to deal more practically and constructively with the issue and hopefully come up with new ways for a peaceful settlement of the conflict," he said.
"In accordance with the OIC basic documents like its Charter, OIC-2025: Program of Action and related resolutions and decisions, all OIC member states shall settle their disputes through peaceful means and refrain from the use or threat of use of force in their relations. The same peaceful approach has also been reiterated for resolving the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.”
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has been on the OIC agenda since 1992, according to him.
"The OIC has strongly condemned the Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan and maintained the position that the Armenian forces should be withdrawn from all occupied Azerbaijani territories immediately, unconditionally and completely," Yusuf bin Ahmad AlOthaimeen said.
For about three decades Armenia and Azerbaijan are in a state of war following Yerevan’s aggression, ethnic cleansing policy and illegal territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenia keeps under control over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions in a brutal war in the early 1990s.
Despite a fragile ceasefire agreement signed in 1994, Armenia keeps violating armistice with Azerbaijan.