Bevanda: Membership in OIC Is Development Chance for Bosnia and Herzegovina

Chairman of the Council of Ministers of BIH Vjekoslav Bevanda received in Sarajevo today Secretary-General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoğlu, with whom he discussed the improvement of cooperation with the OIC and with the OIC member countries individually. 

Chairman Bevanda thanked to Secretary- General Ihsanoğlu for the support the OIC and its member countries extend to Bosnia and Herzegovina, especially for the continuous support to returnees. He stressed that Bosnia and Herzegovina must advance tis cooperation with the OIC.

OIC Secretary-General Ihsanoğlu said that there are prejudices that the OIC gathers only Islamic countries. Emphasising that the OIC is the world’s second largest inter-governmental organisation after the UN, the OIC Secretary-General said that the majority of the OIC member-countries are not predominantly Muslim countries at all. Further, he informed Chairman Bevanda of benefits Bosnia and Herzegovina might enjoy as a full member, because of accession to the OIC development funds.

“A full membership s a development chance for BIH and we have to start using our cultural heritage as a development chance. If the OIC would extend tis support to our projects in energy sector or in construction of international transport corridors, this country would look significantly different”, Chairman Bevanda concluded.

Chairman Bevanda underlined that this is a chance we must not slip out form our hands, especially for the reason that membership in the OIC is not colliding with membership in other multilateral organisations.

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