Jeddah, Mar. 07, 2022, SPA -- President of the Republic of Niger Mohamed Bazoum received today in Niamey, the Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Hussein Ibrahim Taha, within the framework of the Secretary-General's tour of the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin countries, who are members of OIC, it was reported here today. During the meeting, they reviewed aspects of cooperation between Niger and OIC and ways to enhance joint Islamic action and enhance the spirit of solidarity. The Secretary-General of OIC thanked the Republic of Niger, in its capacity as the current chair of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, for its efforts in supporting OIC projects, especially the establishment of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation's regional mission for the Sahel and Lake Chad in Niger. For his part, the President expressed Niger's permanent readiness to support the activities of OIC, calling on the member states and institutions of the organization to contribute to finding solutions to the security challenges and food crises facing the Sahel region and the Lake Chad Basin at the present time. Taha, also met with the Prime Minister of Niger Omodu Mahamadou and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassoumi Masoudou. The two sides discussed issues of concern to the Islamic world, the role of OIC in resolving disputes, strengthening mediation efforts, and the need to exert more effort to activate joint Islamic action, and to overcome the various challenges facing the Islamic world, especially the fight against terrorism, and to achieve comprehensive economic development. The two sides discussed the efforts of the countries of the region to confront the security and development challenges in the Sahel and Lake Chad basin regions, in addition to the political situation in Mali, Libya, and Burkina Faso. The Secretary-General of OIC stressed the need for member states to continue supporting the organization's regional mission in Niger. --SPA 01:04 LOCAL TIME 22:04 GMT 0002 www.spa.gov.sa/w1702311