His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday underlined the timing and the agenda of the Islamic summit, which will be held tomorrow in Mecca, stressing its importance in unifying the ranks of the Arab and Islamic nations. 

The invitation by Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz for an extraordinary summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) comes in response to escalating development in the region and the Islamic world, King Abdullah said in an interview with the Saudi newspaper, Okaz.

These developments call for coordinating efforts to bolster Islamic solidarity and to arrive at solutions for the challenges facing the Islamic nation, the King said.

His Majesty said the timing of the summit attests to the wisdom and true leadership of the Saudi monarch, who, the King said, is deemed with high esteem and respect in the Arab and Islamic worlds.

The Saudi king has shown “keenness to bring together all Arabs and Muslims at these critical circumstances the nation is going through”, His Majesty told the daily.

“Holding the summit in the heart of Mecca and during the last 10 days of the holy month of Ramadan sends important signals,” the King said.

In the interview, the King commended the strong Jordanian-Saudi relations, describing them as a model of “institutionalised” brotherly ties based on respect, continued coordination, cooperation and exchange of expertise.