The State of Qatar affirmed its support for achieving the objectives of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the need for the Organization to be the home of all Muslims, calling on the Organization to abide by its duties and not to enter into artificial differences, thus dispersing its efforts to play its role in crucial issues.

This was the statement made by His Excellency Sultan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, at the annual coordination meeting of the OIC foreign ministers held on the sidelines of the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly.

The Minister of State explained that a vision should be devised with clear operational mechanisms to solve the crises and schemes of attrition, marginalization, fragmentation and regional and sectarian conflicts that plague Muslim countries. He stressed the importance of strengthening the bonds of cooperation and brotherhood between the members of the Organization and the strengthening of its role, wondering "Is it acceptable to put obstacles to prevent the participation of the delegations of the State of Qatar in the meetings held at the headquarters of the Organization ?!" He said that serious consideration should be given to ways to strengthen its role in meeting the growing challenges in the Muslim world. He also called for recalling the reasons and justifications that led to its establishment nearly five decades ago. It was hoped that the organization would become a strong and successful international bloc, expressing regret that the Islamic Organization was unable to play its role.

He stressed the need to reform the organization and raise its capabilities, to serve the Islamic peoples and issues of the Islamic world, and called on those who conduct their work to keep away from any position contrary to its objectives, and damage its credibility, so as to bring the positions closer and not deepen the differences and crises. He also referred to the Palestinian issue, which continues to occupy the greatest interest of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. The issue of Jerusalem is one of the goals for which the Organization was established.

He reiterated Qatar's support for all efforts aimed at the peace process, the Israel's withdrawal from all Palestinian and Arab territories to the pre-1967 borders, support for a two-state solution, and Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.

With regard to the Syrian crisis, he said that the time had come to end the suffering of the Syrian people, in order to reach a political solution in accordance with the Geneva Declaration 1 and to implement Security Council resolutions.

In his capacity as Chairman of the Contact Group on Somalia, the State of Qatar is coordinating the holding of the next meeting in Mogadishu, in support of Somalia and the implementation of the Organization's resolutions.