ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi on Saturday proposed linking regional energy and transport networks to strengthen economic cooperation and stability as Baghdad assumed the rotating presidency of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers.
"Iraq proposes an initiative for comprehensive connectivity across energy networks, railways, transportation, and digital communications, as well as the development of digital payment systems and commercial platforms, and achieving integration between industrial zones," Zaidi said during his opening address at the 52nd session of the Council, according to his media office.
The OIC session brings together 57 member states across four continents, functioning as a collective platform for political, economic, social, and humanitarian cooperation.
The summit comes amid regional economic instability following maritime restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz since late February, when US and Israeli strikes on Iran triggered wider conflict.
The strategic waterway carries one-fifth of global energy supplies, and the restrictions severely impacted arab gulf nations, including Iraq, which exports over 90 percent of its crude oil through the corridor.
The body's Council of Foreign Ministers convenes regularly to deliberate on mutual challenges, formulate shared positions, and adopt binding resolutions affecting Muslim-majority nations and communities.
"Through this initiative, we aim to establish security, stability, and prosperity, and to enhance resilience against crises and challenges," Zaidi stated, pointing to escalating regional hardships.
"We call for the freedom of trade, the protection of its routes, and ensuring the smooth flow of transport in international corridors," Zaidi added, emphasizing that regional economic fallout continues to test the capacity for collective resilience.
The proceedings officially marked the transfer of the rotating leadership, as the session witnessed "the handover of the presidency of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers from the Republic of Turkey to the Republic of Iraq for the council's fifty-second session," the Iraqi foreign ministry stated on Saturday.
Working sessions are scheduled to continue in the Iraqi capital through Sunday, when ministers and participating delegations will conclude discussions and vote on draft resolutions spanning developmental, political, and economic files.
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