A delegation chaired by H.E. Prof. Koutoub Moustapha Sano, Secretary General of the Academy, visited the Makkah branch of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday, 28 Rabi Al-Akhir 1445, corresponding to 31 October 2024, in Jeddah.

His Excellency and the delegation were received by H.E. Dr. Farid bin Ali Al-Shehri, MOFA Director General in Makkah province, who warmly welcomed and thanked them for the visit, which enhances cooperation between the Academy and the various institutions of the host country. He praised the directives of Saudi Arabia’s wise leadership in providing all services and facilities needed by the Academy and other OIC organs to carry out their activities and programs in the best ways.

For his part, the Secretary General of the Academy expressed his sincere thanks and appreciation and congratulated him on his appointment as the new Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Branch in Makkah while also praising the appreciable efforts of his predecessor, Mr. Mazen Al-Hamli. He gave a brief overview of the Academy’s vision, mission, objectives, activities, and programs, highlighting that all the credit for the Academy’s creation four decades ago belongs to Allah the Almighty, then to the leadership of this blessed country, which sensed the Ummah’s and the whole world’s need for an international scientific reference, whose members consist of jurists, scholars and thinkers in various fields of knowledge from all over the Muslim world to study contemporary life issues and make genuine collective ijtihad to provide solutions that stem from the Islamic heritage and that are open to the development of human thought.

The Secretary General of the Academy concluded by saying: “On behalf of the OIC Secretary General, the President of the Academy, and on the scholars of the Ummah, its prominent thinkers, members, experts, and affiliates worldwide, we raise the highest expressions of thanks and appreciations to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, King of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and his Crown Prince, HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, and his Crown Prince, May Allah protect them for the generous and unparalleled support to the Academy from its establishment to this day. We especially thank and appreciate their sponsorship of providing a secure, integrated, and comfortable headquarters for the Secretariat General of the Academy in the downtown of Jeddah. May Allah reward them for us, Islam and Muslims in general, and for knowledge and scholars in particular, with the most excellent rewards. May the leadership and people of the Two Holy Mosques maintain the blessings of security, safety, stability, prosperity, and comfort.”

At the end of the meeting, the Secretary General and the Director General signed the renewed rent contract with the building owner’s representative, where the Academy is located. The delegation included Mr. Mohammed Mondher Chouk, Director of Cabinet and Protocols; Mr. Mohammed Adnan Ishmao Al-Fihri, Director of Administrative and Financial Affairs; Mr. Mohammed Walid Al-Idrissi, Director of Media and Public Relations; Mrs. Sarah bint Amjad Bedewi, Director of Family, Women, Childhood and Youth, and Mr. Amjad Al-Mansi, Head of Protocols.