Kazakhstan will pass the chairmanship of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to Djibouti in mid-2012. Kazakh Foreign Minister Yerzhan Kazykhanov met his counterpart from Djibouti, Mahmoud Ali Yusuf, in Astana, News Kazakhstan reports.
The OIC chairmanship was the main topic of discussions. Yusuf invited Kazykhanov for the 39th session of the Ministerial Council of members of the OIC in Djibouti.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (formerly known as the Organization of the Islamic Conference) is one of the largest and most authoritative international Muslim organizations. It consists of 57 states, with a total population of about 1.2 billion. It is headquartered in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia).
Kazykhanov signed a memorandum of understanding on consultations with Yusuf, Kazinform reports.
Aydarbek Tumatov, Director of the Department for Asia and Africa, said that the document is the basis for cooperation between the ministries. The memorandum sets consultations between ministries of the two states. Other agreements will be signed in the future, Tumatov notes.
