On 11–12 February, the capital of Pakistan, Islamabad, hosts the seventh meeting of the OIC Steering Committee on the Science, Technology, and Innovation Agenda for 2026.
The event brings together representatives of OIC specialized institutions, international organizations, and academic and research institutions of member states. Opening remarks were delivered by the OIC-COMSTECH Secretary General Coordinator (Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation of the OIC), Muhammad Iqbal Chaudhary, and the OIC Assistant Secretary General, Ambassador Aftab Ahmed Khokhar.
Vice-President of the Turkic Academy Askhat Kessikbayev participated in the meeting. He delivered a report and conveyed greetings to the participants on behalf of the President of the Turkic Academy, Prof. Dr. Shahin Mustafayev.
Kessikbayev highlighted that the Academy coordinates more than 40 joint research projects across Turkic countries and regions, publishes analytical reports on the economies of Turkic states and results of large-scale sociological studies on social trends, and actively conducts applied research on water resource management, food security, and economic development.
Vice-President also emphasized the Academy’s successful cooperation with COMSTECH, including the organization of two Iqbal Forums held in Islamabad (2020) and Almaty (2022), which brought together scholars from across the Islamic and Turkic world to discuss the intellectual legacy of Muhammad Iqbal. In 2020, the Academy also published an Azerbaijani translation of Iqbal’s The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam, expanding access to his ideas across the Turkic world.
Kessikbayev further underscored that in 2025 the Academy completed the academic project “Pakistan and the Turkic World: Identity, Diplomacy, and Strategic Partnership”. The project brought together scholars from Turkic countries and Pakistan. Its outcome was a collective monograph, which made a significant contribution to advancing academic dialogue and strengthening scientific cooperation.
As part of the agenda, participants reviewed the outcomes of the previous Steering Committee meeting and outlined plans and priority steps for the current year.
