Turkish PM calls for broader view of Muslims

ISTANBUL

AA photo

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has put forth a call to “liberate all Islamic lands under occupation,” while also asking for a common and broader view of Muslims in order to discuss the problems of the Muslim world with maturity.“We need a common stance for the liberation of all the Islamic lands that are under occupation, especially Palestine,” said Davutoğlu April 14, while delivering an opening speech at the 13th Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit in Istanbul.The prime minister added the OIC should improve efficiency in areas where Muslim minorities have met difficulties and felt alone.“The most important indicator which would show the effectiveness of the OIC is protecting Muslim minorities and liberating occupied lands such as Palestine, Karabakh and Crimea,” Davutoğlu said.He added the common stance should be for occupied territories, where the Islamic identity is under threat of being demolished.Davutoğlu also called for a common attitude against the troubles facing the Muslim world.“Despite differences of opinion, we need to maximize political relations and improve bilateral contacts in maturity so we can discuss all problems in the Muslim world,” he said.Turkey is currently hosting the OIC summit under the theme “Unity and Solidarity for Justice and Peace” for the first time since the body’s inception in 1969. It will lead the bloc for the next two years.Davutoğlu also warned that some Muslim countries were confronted with the problem of separatism. “We need to compose a principled attitude against the risk of dismemberment of some states,” he said.Before the opening speech, Davutoğlu held separate meetings with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Lebanese Prime Minister Tammam Salam and Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain.A total of 57 member states, which have a total of $10 trillion GDP, will participate in the IOC summit.Apart from the high-level security measures taken in Istanbul for the summit, which started days prior to the launch of the event, some 5,000 more police officers are on duty.