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Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of Foreign Trade, and Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori, Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs to Türkiye, participated in the 42nd session of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul from October 31 to November 3, 2026, according to the Emirates News Agency. The ministerial-level meeting was inaugurated by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and brought together leaders, senior officials and representatives from OIC member states. Al Zeyoudi conveyed the greetings of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to President Erdoğan and to the leaders and representatives of OIC member states, together with wishes for continued progress and prosperity for the OIC nations and their peoples.
In his address to the gathering, Al Zeyoudi highlighted the UAE’s non-oil foreign trade with OIC member states, which reached approximately $358.1 billion in 2025 and accounted for 35 percent of the country’s total non-oil foreign trade, a WAM report stated. In the first half of 2026, the figure reached $194.8 billion, reflecting a 20.2 percent increase compared to the same period in 2025. The 2025 breakdown showed non-oil exports to OIC member states totalled $80 billion, re-exports reached $127 billion and imports totalled $151.2 billion.
Al Zeyoudi pointed to the UAE’s experience in concluding Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements as a pathway to rules-based trade openness, expanded market access, higher exports and increased investment flows. The minister affirmed the UAE’s readiness to share this experience with member states during the session, whose theme focused on developing effective trade financing tools for increasing exports in OIC countries. He also called for stronger strategic partnerships to deepen economic integration across the 57 OIC member states.
Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori expressed sincere gratitude and appreciation to the Republic of Türkiye for hosting the 42nd session of COMCEC, which serves as an important platform for exchanging views and expertise on priority economic initiatives. The envoy noted that the committee coordinates programs to enhance economic and commercial cooperation among OIC member countries, building on its role since its establishment. Discussions at the event addressed trade finance, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, logistics and reducing barriers to the movement of goods and services.
A post by Al Zeyoudi on X following the meetings underlined that the OIC, with a combined GDP of nearly $10 trillion, holds substantial potential to expand trade and investment among its members. The UAE official reaffirmed the country’s support for OIC-led initiatives and its commitment to cooperating with member states on major economic projects. Data presented during the session illustrated how such collaboration could strengthen competitiveness and support shared prosperity amid global supply chain challenges.
