KAMPALA, Uganda - Iranian Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani has called for establishing contacts with Muslims living in non-Islamic countries across the world.

“Contact with Muslim minorities living in non-Islamic states and making efforts to restore their rights” are among issues that the OIC parliamentary union must adopt through “a logical, orderly and efficient” procedure, Larijani told the sixth summit of Parliamentary Union of the Organization of the Islamic Conference in Kampala, Uganda, on Thursday.
Larijani said a considerable number of Muslims have succeeded to find seats in parliaments in non-Muslim states and this can greatly help to defend the rights of Muslim minorities.
He added such persons can also help establish a “constructive interaction” between these parliaments and the OIC Parliamentary Union, the Mehr News Agency correspondent from Kampala reported.
Larijani also cited the strangulation of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip by the Zionist regime and the adventurist military movements by the U.S. and NATO in Iraq and Afghanistan, under the pretext of fighting terrorism, as major challenges facing the Islamic world.
Larijani expressed hope that planned parliamentary polls in Iraq and Afghanistan would help establish full sovereignty in the two countries.
Elsewhere in his speech to the conference, Larijani praised parliamentary election in Lebanon last year which helped end the political crisis in the country. The senior Iranian lawmaker praised the Hezbollah chief Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah for his great contribution in helping establish unity in Lebanon.
On the sideline of the summit on Thursday and on Friday, Larijani met with parliamentary delegations of Sudan, Egypt, Unites Arab Emirates, Syria, and Niger.
Larijani urges strengthening OIC parliamentary union
In a meeting with Sudanese Speaker of the National Assembly Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Tahir, Larijani called for strengthening the Islamic Parliamentary Union.
Both sides also exchanged views over the developments in Sudan and issues facing the Muslim world especially the Gaza crisis.
Insisting on the importance of unity among Muslim nations, Larijani called for boosting Iran-Sudan parliamentary relations.
Iranian and Egyptian speakers discuss parliamentary ties
Larijani also met his Egyptian counterpart Ahmed Fathi Surur on the sidelines of the parliamentary summit on Friday to discuss issues facing the Muslim world.
The two parliament speakers conferred about bilateral parliamentary relations.
The two sides also made some proposals for strengthening the Islamic Parliamentary Union.
Parliamentary Union should support Palestinians
In a meeting with the head of the Syrian parliamentary delegation, Larijani called on the Islamic Parliamentary Union to defend the rights of the Palestinian nation.
The senior Iranian lawmaker also called for expanding bilateral parliamentary relations.
The sides made some proposals for amending the charter of the Islamic Parliamentary Union and making the organization more efficient