SL woos Muslim countries for support at UN fora, in economic development

By Kelum Bandara  

In a fresh move to secure the support of the Muslim world, Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Sabry held talks with Secretary General of Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Hissein Brahim Taha and requested him to stand by Sri Lanka in multilateral forums such as the UN and consider the country as an investment destination. 

Mr. Sabry is on an official visit to Saudi Arabia. His meeting with the OIC Secretary General took place ahead of the UNHRC session coming up in Geneva in March. The OIC is a bloc of 54 countries. Some OIC member states with voting rights at the UNHRC such as Qatar, abstained from voting on the resolution on Sri Lanka last year.  

The Minister told Daily Mirror that he briefed the OIC that equality for all people including Muslims is guaranteed in terms of Article 12 of Sri Lanka’s Constitution.  

According to the minister, the OIC Secretary General recognized Sri Lanka’s long standing support for the two-state solution to the Palestine issue.   

Besides, he said he had a meeting with Governor of Madinah, Faisal bin Salman, who promised increased employment opportunities for Sri Lankans in his region.