Rabat: 06/02/2025

Dr. Salim AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received Mr. Fuad Hussein, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iraq, on Thursday, 6 February 2025, at ICESCO headquarters in Rabat. The two sides discussed ways to enhance joint cooperation in the fields of preserving and valuing heritage and protecting cultural property, Arabic calligraphy, and manuscripts.

During the meeting, which was attended by Dr. Bhutan Dizayee, Chargé d’Affaires at the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in Rabat, Dr. AlMalik reviewed the Organization’s vision and strategic orientations and the most prominent programs and initiatives it implements in its fields of competence for the benefit of its Member States, noting that in recent years, the Organization has added to its areas of action new topics such as artificial intelligence, environmental protection, and space sciences and their applications.

ICESCO Director-General highlighted the Organization’s efforts to inscribe the Islamic world heritage through its Islamic World Heritage Center, to protect cultural properties and heritage elements from damage, looting, and illicit trafficking by documenting them, building the capacity of workers in the field, and employing the latest relevant technologies.

Dr. AlMalik expressed the Organization’s readiness to cooperate with Iraq in the field of Arabic calligraphy in light of ICESCO’s interest in manuscripts, as an authentic cultural and artistic heritage that should be publicized and preserved for future generations, given the various challenges it faces.

For his part, Mr. Hussein stressed the importance of cooperation between ICESCO and Iraq in developing the intellectual and cultural movement to confront extremist ideas and protect the heritage and civilization of the Islamic world, noting that the Ministry has adopted the concepts of cultural diplomacy and recovery diplomacy as two soft powers to preserve and value Iraq’s rich heritage.

The meeting was attended by Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, ICESCO Deputy Director-General; Mr. Osama Heikal, Head of the Media and Communication Sector; Mr. Mohamed Hedi Shili, Director of the Department of Legal Affairs and International Standards; and Dr. Idham Hanash, expert at the Culture Sector.