The Diplomatic Insight _ January 2020

machinery.
That move can be easily combined
with the bolder presence before
the Vienna-based Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA) in advocating a just
and sustained settlement for the
Middle East – which is a nuclear
free MENA.
Among the 57 OIC MS, 21 of them
are listed within a top 50 countries
in the Global Terrorism Index for
2019. (With a ranking of 9.6 points,
Afghanistan is infamously nr. 1 on
the global terror index, making it the
nation most affected by terrorism
on Earth. The OIC member –
Afghanistan, scored the most terror
attacks in 2018 - 1,294; and the most
terror-related deaths in 2018, with
9,961 casualties. Several other MS
follow the same pattern.)
The OIC Charter (article 28,
Chapter XV) clearly states that
the Organisation may cooperate
with other international and
regional FORAs with the objective
of preserving international peace
and security and settling disputes
through pacific means.
As said, Vienna is a principal
seat of the second largest security
multilateral mechanism on earth,
OSCE. This is a unique threedimensional
organisation with its
well elaborated and functioning:
politico-military, economyenvironment;
and the human
dimension – all extensively
developed both institutionally and
by its instruments.
No doubt, the OIC so far successfully
contributes to international
peace and security, by boosting
understanding and dialogue among
civilizations, cultures and religions,
and by promoting and encouraging
friendly relations and good
neighbourliness, mutual respect
and cooperation. But to remain to
the contemporary challenges, it
necessities more forums to voice
its positions and interests. Many
of the OSCE Member states have
even three different ambassadors
and three separate missions in
Vienna. Presence of other relevant
international organisations follows
about the same pattern.
The strategic importance of the
MENA (Middle East- North Africa)
lies on its diverse resources, such as
energy, trade routes, demography,
geography, faith and culture.
The OSCE has a Mediterranean
partnership outreach, meaning
some of the LAS and OIC members
states are already participants,
whereas the Central Asian states,
Caucasus as well as Turkey, Albania
and Bosnia are fully-fledged
member states of the OSCE.
Taking all above into account, the
OIC should not miss an opportunity
to open another powerful channel
of its presence and influence on
the challenging and brewing
international scene. It would be
a permanent office to cover all
diplomatic activities and within it –
the observer status before the OSCE
(perhaps the IAEA, too). This would
be to the mutual benefit of all; Europe
and the Muslim world, intl peace
and prosperity, rapprochement and
understanding, present generations
and our common futures.
12•THE DIPLOMATIC INSIGHT