Syria's membership in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which had been suspended since 2012, has been restored following an initiative by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, sources said Friday.
Fidan attended an extraordinary session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in Saudi Arabia, where discussions included reinstating Syria’s membership in the organization after more than a decade of suspension.
Türkiye played a key role in adding the topic of Syria’s OIC membership to the agenda, and a resolution supported by Türkiye was adopted, officially restoring Syria’s status in the organization.
Following the decision, Syria’s new Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani attended the meeting and assumed the country’s seat, officially ending the suspension that had lasted since 2012.
Syria’s OIC membership was suspended in 2012 amid escalating violence by the Assad regime against the Syrian people. The decision followed a recommendation made during an extraordinary session of the OIC Executive Committee held at the ministerial level in Jeddah on June 24, 2012.
The suspension was later formalized at the 4th Extraordinary OIC Summit in Mecca on Aug.14-15, 2012, as the organization condemned the Syrian regime’s actions during the country’s civil war.
With Syria’s membership now reinstated, the move signals a shift in regional diplomatic efforts and increased engagement with the new Syrian leadership.
