OIC secretary-general Ihsanoglu in Baku

Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu is currently in Baku, Azerbaijan to attend an international conference on dialogue among civilizations to mark the bloc's 40th anniversary. On the sidelines of the conference, Ihsanoglu, who is also a Turkish scholar, was received by Azeri President Ilham Aliyev. They exchanged views on various international and regional issues, including the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Afghanistan, and the situation in the Caucasus. Ihsanoglu also congratulated Aliyev on Baku taking the title of Capital of Islamic Culture for 2009. The secretary-general reiterated to Aliyev the OIC's principled and unwavering support for Azerbaijan in the face of Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan, which led to the occupation by Armenia of around 20 percent of Azeri territory.