Ready to embrace India into our fold: OIC

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has welcomed the participation of India as the guest of honour at the Abu Dhabi foreign ministers' meet and hopes to embrace India one day.

Addressing media at the end of the meet, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Foreign Affairs Minister of UAE said, "OIC has sent a very clear and positive sign to India, to the people of India, that the OIC, appreciates the relationship with India."

Adding, that the organisation "looks forward to strengthening such a relationship with India to the point where we can embrace India one day in the OIC."

It was for the first time India was invited at the OIC meet. India was invited by UAE as a "Guest of Honour" and this was backed by Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh.

Calling India's presence historic, the UAE minister said, "I know we are not there yet for obvious reasons but what I can say is that having India as a guest of honour was a historic moment for the OIC yes, and it was a historic moment for India definitely."

India's presence at the meet is being considered at big diplomatic coup since the grouping once was considered a supporter of Islamabad.