By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA

India has been invited as “Guest of Honor” at the upcoming meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Abu Dhabi, a statement said on Saturday.

In the statement, Indian External Ministry said its Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj will attend 46th session of the council of foreign ministers of OIC.

The upcoming OIC session will be held in Abu Dhabi on March 1-2 under the theme “50 years of Islamic cooperation: Road map for prosperity and development”.

“The Minister for External Affairs Smt. Sushma Swaraj has been invited by HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates as the ‘Guest of Honour’ to address the Inaugural Plenary,” the statement said.

It was in May 2018 when India’s longstanding demand of being included in the OIC as an observer was proposed by Bangladesh in OIC's Dhaka session.

India is home to the world’s third largest Muslim population.

The Indian External Ministry’s statement said the invitation for OIC “was a milestone in our comprehensive strategic partnership with the UAE”.

“We also see this invitation as a welcome recognition of the presence of 185 million Muslims in India and of their contribution to its pluralistic ethos, and of India’s contribution to the Islamic world,” it added.