His Royal Highness Prince Mohamed Bolkiah, Brunei's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, yesterday morning attended the opening ceremony of the 33rd Session of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Accompanying HRH Prince Mohamed is HRH Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Anak Hjh Zariah.
On arrival at the Gulustan Palace, His Royal Highness and other Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) ministers were welcomed by Azerbaijan's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Elmar Mammadyarov, RTB reported.
The conference began with an address by the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev. He said the Baku conference is the first meeting at the ministerial level of the OIC member countries that is taking place after the emergence of the crisis as a result of the publication of defamatory caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
The president added that the issue of Islamaphobia in general will be among the main issues to be discussed by the foreign ministers at the conference.
The president also said that at the political level, the Palestinian issue, the Israeli-Arab conflict, the current situation in Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan and Cyprus top the agenda of the conference.
- Borneo Bulletin
(20th June 2006)
