The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, has signed a letter of framework of cooperation with the Australian Government in Canberra, focusing on bolstering cooperation in the political, humanitarian and science and technology fields. The Secretary General, on an official visit to Australia to strengthen relations between the OIC and Australia, also met during the weekend its Prime Minister Julia Gillard. During the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on the current situations in Syria and Palestine and the possible ways and means of enhancing OIC-Australia relations. On the issue of Palestine, Ihsanoglu solicited Australia's support for establishing the Palestinian state and commended it for its development aid to Palestine especially in the areas of state institutional building and infrastructure, according to a latest press release of the OIC. --MORE
