World Bulletin / News Desk

The 13th Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit has started on Thursday at the Istanbul Congress Center, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as hosting leader.

This is the first time Turkey is hosting the two-day summit since the body’s inception in 1969.

Turkey will take over the organization’s chair for the next two years during the summit, which will be held under the theme “Unity and Solidarity for Justice and Peace”.

In the opening session, Egyptian Foreign Minister Samih Shukri will deliver the first speech representing his nation, which hosted the 12th OIC summit in 2013.

Erdogan welcomed his guests and posed with them for a group photo.

The summit will strengthen unity and solidarity between Muslim countries in the fight against terrorism, according to a statement posted on the bloc’s official website.

The high-level meeting of Muslim leaders is also expected to discuss the situation in Syria, Yemen, Palestine, Iraq, and Azerbaijan. A declaration is expected at the end of the meeting.

Founded in 1969, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation is made up of 57 member states and represents the collective voice of the Islamic world, according to the statement.