Secretary General,

Esteemed Colleagues,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In my new capacity as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, it is a pleasure for me to attend the Annual Coordination Meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference.

Allow me to begin by extending my special thanks and appreciation to Prof. Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, the Secretary General of the OIC, and his able staff for all their efforts in the reform of the OIC. As the second largest international organization with 57 Member States, I believe that the OIC, through a strengthened institutional structure, will serve as an important body in addressing not only the problems of the Muslim world but the whole international community. I am pleased to observe that the 10-Year Program of Action adopted at the Extraordinary Islamic Summit in Makkah in December 2005, marked the resolve of the Member States towards this end.

Distinguished Colleagues,

The members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference are faced with a number of issues, such as socio-economic disparities, extremism and sectarianism which require our urgent attention. To this end, the OIC Member States need to further strengthen the bonds of solidarity among themselves.

On the other hand, Member States are also confronted with intolerance and prejudice against Islam and its culture. We need to overcome the mispresentations of Islam through dialogue, understanding, tolerance, mutual respect and cooperation among different religions and cultures.

In this respect, I would like to emphasize the significance of the Alliance of Civilizations initiative which is co-sponsored by Turkey. We hosted a highly attended meeting of the Alliance Group of Friends last week here at the UN. We hope more OIC members join this endeavor. We must exert every effort to implement the recommendations of the High-Level Group and actively support the implementation phase of this undertaking.

Distinguished Colleagues,

I would like to now address a critical issue of the highest priority for Turkey.

Turkey and Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus maintain their constructive attitude towards finding a just, peaceful and comprehensive solution to the Cyprus issue under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General, based on the long-established UN parameters which are political equality, bi-zonality and a new partnership state. In spite of the fact that an historic opportunity was missed with the rejection of the Annan Plan by the Greek Cypriot side in 2004, we continue to support the efforts, under the Good-Offices Mission of the UN Secretary General towards reaching a comprehensive settlement in Cyprus.

Contrary to the positive approach of the Turkish side, the Greek Cypriot leadership, conducting a strong international campaign to prevent any opening towards the Turkish Cypriots, pursues intransigent and provocative policies and accordingly continues to be a source of instability in the Eastern Mediterranean. Lastly at the meeting of Turkish and Greek Cypriot leaders held on 5 September 2007, the proposal of President Talat to start full-fledged negotiations between parties to reach a comprehensive settlement by the end of 2008 was rejected by the Greek Cypriot leadership.

In accordance with the relevant OIC resolutions, I would like to call upon all Member States to strengthen their effective solidarity with the Turkish Muslim people of Cyprus, with a view to easing their plight due to the decade-long inhumane and unjust isolations. In this regard, I invite all members to contribute to the development projects, to exchange business delegations, to develop cultural relations and sports contacts, to respond positively to the Turkish Cypriots’ desire to travel freely to OIC Member States, and to encourage academic cooperation, including student exchange programs with the Turkish Muslim People of Cyprus.

Distinguished Colleagues and Ministers,

We also deem the OIC’s continued interest in the situation of the Turkish Muslim Minority in Western Thrace of paramount importance. We expect the OIC to stand up for the Turkish Muslim Minority in Western Thrace whose rights continue to be denied. Unfortunately, they cannot elect their muftis; neither can they administer their foundations. They are deprived of equal opportunities in education. Moreover, their ethnic identity is categorically denied.

Distinguished Colleagues,

Turkey quite naturally has a strong interest at stake in the restoration of peace and stability in its region and thus pursues pro-active and constructive policies to attain this objective.

To this end we continue to place the many assets of our strategic location, wide ranging ties, insight of the many issues, multi-dimensional foreign policy as well as peacekeeping capabilities at the service of regional and international peace and stability. We also contribute to the best of our ability to post-conflict reconstruction efforts.

We have consistently supported an end to the sectarian violence and a return to normalcy in neighboring Iraq. The preservation of Iraq’s territorial integrity and political unity is of critical importance. To this end we advocate national conciliation through political dialogue among all groups. We initiated a platform for consultations among Iraq’s neighbors with a view to contributing to the restoration of security and stability in Iraq. This process has now been expanded to also include the P5 and G8. We will host the next Ministerial meeting in this format at the beginning of November in Istanbul.

In Afghanistan, Turkey has led ISAF twice since its inception and at present has assumed the Regional Command in the capital Kabul. Our commitment to the reconstruction effort in this country is visible in the development projects undertaken by Turkey primarily in the fields of health, education and agriculture. We take great pride in leading foreign investments in this country. The Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT), established by Turkey in the province of Wardak, is another dimension of this commitment. Our PRT, among other activities, also organizes literacy courses for girls and women and carries out humanitarian programs during Aid el-Fıtr, Aid el-Kebir and Muharram. To cite a few concrete examples, 27 schools in various parts of Afghanistan built by Turkey offer some 37.000 students a better chance for education. Some 750.000 patients have received free treatment in the Turkish-built and equipped healthcare centers.

In the Middle East, the question of Palestine lies at the core of all problems in the region. We wish to see a negotiated settlement that would ensure a state to call home for Palestine and a just and lasting peace. We believe that a sustainable settlement of the Palestinian issue would create a climate conducive to the resolution of other conflicts in the region as well.

The outlook of the Middle East Peace Process remains uncertain. Turkey’s ultimate objective remains the creation of the necessary conditions for the resumption of peace negotiations with a view to achieving the vision of two states. The Road Map and the Arab Peace Initiative offer the most viable basis for the realization of this goal.

On the other hand, it is imperative to help improve the living standards of the Palestinians as well as capacity and institution building. In this regard, we took the initiative for the establishment of a tripartite group called the “Ankara Forum” among the private sector representatives of Turkey, Palestine and Israel. The Forum has undertaken the project of reviving the Erez Industrial Zone in Gaza. When circumstances permit, this enterprise would generate thousands of jobs for the Palestinians.

Turkey’s participation in UNIFIL in Lebanon should also be interpreted in the light of its overall commitment to peace and stability in the region.

Another dispute that undermines stability, prosperity and democracy in our region is the Azeri-Armenian conflict. We call for a just and peaceful settlement of the conflict on the basis of principles of territorial integrity and inviolability of internationally recognized territorial borders. We support our Azerbaijani brothers and still await Armenia’s withdrawal from the occupied Azeri territories, enabling the return of almost one million displaced persons.

The Kashmir issue, which continues for so many years and costs so many lives and suffering on the part of the Kashmiri people, we believe, should be resolved peacefully, through dialogue and without further delay, in line with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.

Distinguished Colleagues,

I believe this is a valuable opportunity for me to re-submit Turkey’s bid to better serve international peace and stability as a member of the UN Security Council. We have declared our candidature for one of the two seats allocated to the Western European and Others Group on the Security Council for the term 2009-2010. The elections will be held during the 63rd Session of the UN General Assembly, which will be held in October 2008. I genuinely believe that with the valuable support of the OIC Member States, Turkey can assume a distinctive and constructive role in harmonizing and reconciling different views within the Security Council. Recalling the OIC resolutions supporting our candidacy, I would like to express my cordial thanks to the countries once again for their support that we are counting on next year.

Distinguished Colleagues

In closing, let me reiterate Turkey’s continued support for the work of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation, presided by the President of Turkey, to realize economic and social development of Member States. We are also privileged to host the two successful subsidiary organs of the OIC, namely IRCICA and SESTRIC, as well as the affiliated organization, the Islamic Conference Youth Forum, which was established in Istanbul last year.

I thank you for your kind attention.