His Excellency Prof. Dr Koutoub Moustapha Sano, Secretary-General of the Academy, received His Excellency Ambassador Mohammad Hassan Sheikh‑al‑Islami, the newly appointed Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, on Thursday, 5 Rajab 1447 AH, corresponding to 25 December 2025, at the Academy’s headquarters in Jeddah.
At the beginning of the meeting, His Excellency congratulated the Ambassador on his appointment as Iran’s Permanent Representative to the OIC, wishing him success in his new post. He also expressed the Academy’s profound gratitude and high appreciation to the Islamic Republic of Iran for its continued support since the Academy’s establishment. His Excellency then provided an overview of the Academy—its vision, mission, and objectives—and took the opportunity to express the Academy’s pride in the valuable contributions of Iranian scholars to its sessions and symposia since its inception. He affirmed the Academy’s aspiration to build cooperative and partnership relations with various Iranian religious institutions that promote moderation, balance, and tolerance, in line with the Academy’s vision, mission, and goals.
For his part, the Ambassador expressed his sincere thanks and great appreciation to His Excellency for the warm reception, praising the central role played by the Academy in correcting misconceptions, bringing Islamic schools of thought closer together, and promoting the values of moderation and tolerance. He also affirmed his full readiness to work toward building partnership relations between the Academy and Iranian academic and intellectual institutions.
The meeting was attended by Mr Muhammad Al‑Munzir Ridha Al‑Shawk, Director of Cabinet and Protocol Affairs; Mr Muhammad Walid Al‑Idrisi, Director of Media, Public Relations, and Information Technology; and Mr Amjad Ibrahim Mustafa Al‑Mansi, Head of the Protocol Division.