Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Contact Group on Peace and Dialogue of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held its inaugural meeting in Jakarta on July 29 and 30, 2019. The meeting successfully established the OIC’s Plan of Action on Peace and Dialogue after a discussion on the draft Plan of Action conducted among 15 senior officials and permanent representatives of the OIC member states, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a written statement released on Tuesday.

At the opening session of the contact group meeting, Indonesia's Vice Foreign Minister A.M. Fachir reiterated the importance of unity and concerted action by all OIC member states to foster peace and dialogue for a better world.

The OIC must always be part of the solution to the problem that emerges in the current world and, in doing so, conduct constructive dialogue and take peaceful steps to solve the problems, he said.

The draft Plan of Action will be presented to the OIC foreign ministers for endorsement at their meeting in New York in September 2019 on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

The meeting was also attended by Assistant Secretary General of the OIC for Political Affairs, Yousef M. AlDobeay, who lauded Indonesia’s role in the establishment of the Contact Group. He also appreciated the efforts taken by Indonesia to host the Contact Group’s first meeting.

The OIC Plan of Action document included various activities which could be carried out by member states to promote peace and dialogue. The implementation will be in the form of education, seminar, and joint studies, as well as cooperation with a number of UN Agencies and regional organizations.

The first meeting of the Contact Group was established as a mandate by 46th OIC Council of Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Abu Dhabi in March 2019.

OIC also held another meeting in Jakarta after its Extraordinary Summit on Palestine and Al-Quds Al-Sharif (The Holy City of Jerusalem) in March 2016 and the First meeting of the Heads of National Medicines Regulatory Authorities (NMRAs) from OIC Member States on November 2018.
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Reporter: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
Editor: Suharto
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