Permanent Observer Mission of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to the European Union

Permanent Observer Mission of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to the European Union (French: Mission Permanente d'Observation de l'Organisation de Coopération Islamique à l'Union Européenne) is the official representative office of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Brussels, Belgium. The OIC opened its Mission in Brussels in order to contribute and reinforce cooperation and relationship with the European Union (EU) in April 2012, which was followed by the official inauguration by former Secretary General H.E. Mr. Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu on 25 June 2013.

H.E. Ambassador Dr. Agshin Mehdiyev is the Head of the Mission. He began his functions on 1 December 2015.

The OIC Mission to EU was established to increase the effectiveness of the work aimed at promoting efficient cooperation and coordination between Member States and the European Union. The objectives of establishing this mission are also to enhance the Mission’s potential by the involvement of the Ambassador and experts in negotiations on the European level and to contribute to European decision making process.

The opening of OIC Mission to the EU is seen as a new phase in OIC-EU relations. OIC aims at strengthening the relations with the European Union and work jointly on a number of political issues including, among all, combating terrorism, conflict prevention and post-conflict peacebuilding, combating islamophobia and providing cultural and informational exchange between the OIC Member States and EU as well as promoting interreligious and intercultural dialogue, human rights and humanitarian assistance.