JEDDAH: The preparatory meeting for the 49th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers for member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation kicked off in Jeddah on Sunday. The 49th session will be held on March 16-17 in Nouakchott, Mauritania. OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha said that the Palestinian cause — the central cause of the OIC — has seen dangerous developments and was recently discussed by the executive committee. The situation in Afghanistan was also discussed by the committee, which recommended continued engagement with the de facto authorities in Kabul through Tariq Ali Bakheet, the special envoy for Afghanistan, and the organization of a second visit by a delegation. Taha said that the OIC and Youssef Al-Dobeay, the special envoy for Jammu and Kashmir, are working to implement the action plan adopted by the liaison group on the issue of the territory during its meeting in Islamabad on the sidelines of the 48th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers. Taha said that the OIC is constantly providing support to Azerbaijan regarding the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh. He stressed that efforts are also ongoing to contribute to achieving peace, security, stability and development in Yemen, Syria, Sudan, Libya, the G5 Sahel countries and Lake Chad Basin, as well as the Central African Republic, Mozambique, Guinea, Burkina Faso and Somalia. He commended all efforts to support Iraq’s unity, territorial integrity and reconstruction. In the humanitarian field, Taha emphasized that the OIC will continue coordinating work in light of increasing challenges. Taha congratulated Mauritania for heading the 49th session and expressed his gratitude to Pakistan for its efforts in chairing the previous session. He also praised the Kingdom, home to the OIC’s headquarters and chair of the 14th Islamic Summit, for its generous support of the organization’s activities.