Saudi Gazette report

ISLAMABAD — Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan emphasized on Sunday that fighting terrorism in Afghanistan is on top of the agenda of the extraordinary session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM), which is being held here on Sunday.

Prince Faisal, who came to attend the session, told reporters that the ministerial session aims to prevent Afghanistan from turning into a hotbed of terrorism in addition to alleviating the suffering of the people of Afghanistan following the capture of power by Taliban. The emergency session of CFM on Afghanistan is being convened after a proposal made in this regard by Saudi Arabia last month.

The Saudi minister said that there has already been coordination with different partners, including OIC, along with the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief), which has extensive experience in delivering humanitarian aid. “KSRelief’s cooperation is in the form of bridging the gap between the Kingdom and Afghanistan by facilitating air and land travel in order to facilitate the access of aid in much more effective manner.”

Prince Faisal called on the international community to help stop the deterioration of the situation in the country. He also highlighted the need to ensure that Afghanistan is not used to shelter terrorist and extremist groups, warning that it would have direct negative impact on the stability of the region. The minister stressed that the Afghans themselves would contribute to ending the tragedy in their country.

Delegates from 57 Islamic countries are attending the CFM session, which is dedicated mainly to tackle the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. The OIC extraordinary session is the first major conference on Afghanistan since the Taliban took control of the country. After Taliban reclaimed power in mid-August, the international community has frozen billions of dollars in aid and assets, risking a major humanitarian crisis as winter approaches in the country of 38 million people. The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) warned of an impending severe famine in the country. So far, no country has recognized the Taliban government.