Senegal handed over the presidency of the Islamic Summit to Egypt on Monday 4/2/2013, scheduled to be held in Egypt on February 6-7, 2013. The Bureau panel was elected to include: Somalia, Palestine and Uganda.

Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said during the OIC Foreign Ministers meeting that the OIC worked over the past years to combat defamation of divine religions and Islamophobia.

Ihsanoglu highlighted the need to confront the proliferation of weapons in the Arab and Islamic region and reviewed all the OIC reports concerning the development of the Organization as a partner and a key player in resolving the issues of the Islamic world.

After receiving the Summit's presidency, Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr said that the summit is being held in Egypt in a very historic moment as Egyptians are seeking to build their new State on the basis of truth, justice, freedom and democracy after the great January 25th Revolution.

Amr stressed that the meeting is aimed to highlight the economic challenges and political struggles facing the OIC members, adding that he hopes that the OIC countries will succeed together to develop a plan of action to intensify political action and promote joint economic cooperation to stand up to these challenges.

Amr said that the Palestinian issue tops the challenges facing the OIC members as it is a cornerstone of security and stability in the Middle East and the world at large.