OIC Members Elect Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed as New Secretary-General

Mauritanian diplomat takes oath, succeeding Hissein Brahim Taha as head of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation

Member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have elected His Excellency Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed as the organisation’s new Secretary-General.

The election took place during the 23rd Extraordinary Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers, held at the OIC General Secretariat headquarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday.

Cheikh Ahmed took the oath of office in the presence of foreign ministers from OIC member states, succeeding outgoing Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha.

Addressing the session in Arabic, English and French, the OIC’s three official languages, the newly elected Secretary-General described his election as the greatest honour of his career.

“Your election of me today is the greatest honor of my career and the highest distinction I have received after more than three decades of international, regional, and national service,” he said.

He expressed his pride in the confidence placed in him by the member states and pledged to meet their expectations. He also stressed his determination to demonstrate through action that his selection as Secretary-General was justified.

Meanwhile, Palestine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Dr. Varsen Aghabekian Shahin, thanked Saudi Arabia for convening the meeting and for its continued support for the Palestinian cause.

She highlighted Israel’s attacks on countries across the region and said Israel, which she referred to as the occupying power, had been emboldened to act because of what she described as decades of impunity.

The Palestinian minister called on OIC member states to adopt practical, political and legal measures to hold accountable those responsible for settler crimes, as well as those who support and finance them.

She also warned that incursions, violations and attempts to change the historical and legal status quo in Al-Quds (Jerusalem) and the Al-Aqsa Mosque pose a direct threat to peace and stability in the region.