FM Fidan holds talks with OIC counterparts in Iraq

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan used the Baghdad OIC meeting for wide-ranging diplomacy. He met Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty, Iran’s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi, and Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein. These talks brought together officials from three influential regional countries.

Fidan also met Iraqi President Nizar Amidi and Supreme Judicial Council President Faiq Zaidan. Later, he held separate meetings with Parliament Speaker Heibet Halbusi, Popular Mobilization Forces Commission Chairman Falih Fayyad, and Iraqi State Minister Mohammed Saman Agha, who chairs the Iraqi Turkmen Front.

The ministry gave no details about the discussions. Fidan attended the Council of Foreign Ministers session and handed its chairmanship to Iraq. The meetings therefore combined bilateral contacts with a formal transfer of leadership as ministers addressed Gaza and other conflicts across the Islamic world.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation is a group of countries working through shared diplomatic institutions. The article identifies it as an intergovernmental organization with 57 members. It was established in 1969 after an arson attack on Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

Its Council of Foreign Ministers brings national foreign ministers together. The Baghdad session addressed leadership, regional security, humanitarian crises and challenges facing the Muslim world. Ministers also used the gathering for separate bilateral meetings, including Fidan’s talks with Egyptian, Iranian and Iraqi officials.

The council’s chairmanship rotates among members. Türkiye held it after the 51st ministerial meeting in Istanbul in June 2025, then handed it to Iraq in Baghdad. This structure gives members a regular channel for consultation and for seeking common diplomatic positions, although the article does not describe any binding enforcement power.

The OIC is a major international grouping by membership. The article states that it includes 57 member states. That size gives its ministerial meetings a broad regional reach and makes its discussions relevant to many governments across the Islamic world.

Its scale is especially notable because the OIC ranks second among intergovernmental organizations worldwide. The United Nations is the only organization identified as larger. Türkiye is a founding member, adding historical significance to its role in the organization.

The Baghdad meeting showed how this large membership works politically. Foreign ministers gathered under the theme “Dialogue and Solidarity.” They were expected to discuss Gaza, other conflict zones, regional security and humanitarian crises. A large membership can amplify shared positions, but reaching agreement still requires countries with different interests to find common language.

Iraq assumed the chairmanship because Türkiye’s tenure reached its scheduled end. Türkiye had taken the role at the 51st ministerial meeting in Istanbul in June 2025. At the Baghdad gathering, Fidan formally handed the Council of Foreign Ministers chairmanship to Iraq.

The chairmanship places Iraq at the center of the council’s next phase. It involves hosting or leading ministerial work, as shown by Baghdad’s two-day meeting. It also gives the chair a platform to organize discussion around shared concerns, including security and humanitarian crises.

The article does not detail the chair’s formal powers. It does show the practical importance of the role: Iraq led the transition while members sought common positions on regional security, Gaza, other conflicts and broader challenges facing the Muslim world. Iraq’s tenure will therefore follow Türkiye’s in managing this diplomatic agenda.

The ministers were expected to discuss Israel’s ongoing attacks in Gaza and developments in other conflict zones across the Islamic world. Their agenda also included regional security, humanitarian crises and broader challenges facing Muslim communities. These issues give the meeting immediate political and humanitarian importance.

The meeting’s theme was “Dialogue and Solidarity: Two Essential Pillars for Promoting Peace and Sustainable Development.” Ministers could use that framework to compare national views and seek common wording. The chairmanship transfer from Türkiye to Iraq provided an institutional setting for continuing those discussions.

If members agree on common positions, they could speak more collectively about regional security and humanitarian needs. Such agreement could strengthen the political message emerging from the OIC. The article does not state that ministers reached specific agreements, so the immediate outcome remains limited to expected discussions and the leadership handover.

The OIC was established in 1969 after an arson attack on Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. The attack created a shared concern among Muslim-majority and other member states, leading them to build a permanent intergovernmental organization. Its creation gave countries a formal channel for collective diplomacy.

The article connects that origin to the organization’s current work. The OIC now convenes foreign ministers and holds a Council of Foreign Ministers. Türkiye, a founding member, chaired the council before transferring leadership to Iraq at the Baghdad meeting.

Its mission has therefore developed from a response centered on protecting a major Islamic holy site into a wider diplomatic agenda. The Baghdad session was expected to address Gaza, other conflict zones, regional security, humanitarian crises and sustainable development. The article does not specify every stage of that evolution, but it clearly shows this broader focus.

Intergovernmental organizations help countries cooperate without erasing their separate national interests. They create recurring meetings, shared agendas and procedures for discussion. The OIC’s Council of Foreign Ministers is one such forum, bringing governments together to address issues affecting the Islamic world.

The Baghdad session offers a concrete example. Ministers gathered under a common theme and were expected to discuss Gaza, conflict zones, regional security and humanitarian crises. Türkiye transferred the chairmanship to Iraq, showing how rotating leadership keeps the process organized. Fidan’s separate meetings added bilateral diplomacy alongside the wider forum.

The key mechanism is consultation followed by efforts to find common positions. A jointly supported statement or diplomatic stance can give members a coordinated voice. However, the article does not report a final agreement or explain enforcement powers. In general, coordination depends on continued dialogue and compromise among countries whose interests may differ.