H.E. Prof. Koutoub Moustapha Sano, Secretary General of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy, received H.E. Mr. Dragan Bisenik, Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday, 24 Dhul Quida 1446, corresponding to 21 May 2025, at the Academy’s headquarters in Jeddah.

The Secretary General of the Academy welcomed his guest and expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the visit, noting that this was the first time a Serbian official had visited the Academy. He said: “I think this will be the beginning of a new chapter of communication with the Serbian authorities. We hope that Serbia will take advantage of its position in promoting peace, dialogue, and understanding with the Islamic world through the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and its subsidiary institutions.” His Excellency then provided his guest with a brief overview of the Academy’s vision, mission, objectives, activities, and initiatives in promoting the culture of moderation, tolerance, coexistence, and harmony among followers of different religions and sects while rejecting intolerance and extremism. He expressed his aspiration to strengthen cooperation, partnership, and coordination relations between the Academy and scientific, intellectual, and religious institutions and centers in the Republic of Serbia.

For his part, the Serbian ambassador expressed his deep thanks and gratitude to the Secretary General of the Academy for the warm welcome, stressing his deep interest and keenness to meet with him following his country’s continuous efforts to strengthen cooperation and coordination relations with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and its affiliated organs, especially the International Islamic Fiqh Academy. “I was particularly impressed by His Excellency’s distinguished academic achievements as I read his biography and found him to be one of the most prominent Muslim scholars with high academic qualifications in the world,” he added. “It was a great pleasure to meet the Secretary General of this institution and establish a connection to strengthen relations between Serbia and the Islamic Ummah.”

The meeting was attended by Mr. Mohammed Chouk, Director of Cabinet; Mrs. Sarah Amjad Bedewi, Director of Family and Women; Mr. Saad Salah Al-Din Al-Samar, Head of the Media Division, and Dr. Hajj Manta Drameh, Head of the International Cooperation Division.