O.I.C. Conference In Baku
BY HASAN KANBOLAT
TODAY'S ZAMAN- Istanbul earlier this month hosted a summit of the Organization of the Islamic Conference's (OIC) Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC), which Turkey has chaired 1984. Officials of the member states meet in Istanbul every November for this meeting, but this year their heads of state also came to review its work over the last 25 years and to devise future policies.
By hosting the event, Turkey boosted its image and prestige in the Islamic world and contributed to regional diplomacy. In line with Turkey's rising influence through the work of Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoðlu and OIC Secretary-General and Turkish scholar Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the OIC has become an important actor. The next OIC meeting will be held in Cairo. From now on its periodic meetings will be held every two years instead of three. In light of the group's growing importance, the meetings may even become annual. The OIC is no longer a toothless organization; in past years, it used to get Islamic countries together on a regular basis and issue rather mild and timid warnings on the Palestinian issue. It has now become a respected organization seeking ways to ensure integration and close cooperation between Islamic countries, taking bold steps to address the issues facing member states, and promoting fundamental rights and freedoms in Islamic countries.
After the COMCEC meeting, the OIC also held a separate event in Baku last week as part of its 40th anniversary celebrations, titled 'Inter-Civilizational Dialogue: Insight from Azerbaijan.' The international conference, sponsored by the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy (ADA), attracted extensive participation from diplomats, academics and members of think-tanks from the US, Europe, the Caucasus, the Middle East, Africa and the Far East.
Azerbaijan is particularly uncomfortable with the possibility that the Turkish-Armenian border will be opened without Armenian withdrawal from Nagorno-Karabakh. For this reason, it is seeking Islamic countries' support on this dispute. But Middle Eastern countries, including Syria and Lebanon (both with sizeable Armenian populations), have taken a positive stance on Turkey's decision to possibly open the border. Baku itself is responsible for its isolation in the Islamic world, because it failed to promote its cause and lobby itself well. Now it's wondering how to deal with this isolation. Luckily, Azerbaijan realized that it won't be able to become a world state by defining its foreign policy according to Moscow's wishes and staying in the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Azerbaijan and its capital Baku are going through a huge transformation. Up until 2000, when an earthquake shook the city, Baku only had two 16-flat buildings in Baku, but now such buildings have mushroomed. But locals are worried that another earthquake could devastate the city because the risk of quakes was disregarded when these buildings went up. Old buildings are being renovated in the city, whose wealth is obvious from the proliferation of luxury cars and stores. The presence of talented young figures in bureaucratic institutions, including the ADA, is attracting attention; thanks to its dynamic young people, Azerbaijan is moving towards become a world state.
