Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will represent Pakistan in the 13th Islamic summit of Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC) scheduled for April 10-15, 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey, it is leant. The Prime Minister, according to diplomatic sources, will participate in the summit from April 14-15, as the Saudi-Iran conflict and the Middle East situation will dominate the gathering of 57-member states of the Muslim world.
An invitation, extended by the current OIC president, has already been accepted and the Prime Minister is confident that through this platform, Pakistan could more proactively play its due role in defusing the tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the sources added.
They said that the Prime Minister, in his speech to the summit, would emphasise on greater Muslim unity to cope with numerous challenges collectively especially the issue of terrorism and extremism. On the sidelines, the Prime Minister is also expected to hold talks with the leaderships of both Saudi Arabia and Iran in which he would urge both the Muslim countries to remove their differences amicably through peaceful means.
During his visit to Turkey, the sources further said that the Prime Minister will also meet with his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu and the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discus bilateral relations and explore the means to further enhance co-operation in various fields. During the Summit, the Turkey will also take over the office of the OIC presidency which is currently with Egypt.