The first summit of the "Al-Quds OIC Youth Capital 2018” began on Tuesday with the participation of the ministers of youth and sports from the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation member states in Ramallah, Palestine.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas thanked the delegation attending the summit from Muslim-majority countries for what he called a historic move to declare Jerusalem as the youth capital. 

“I thank you all for coming here and showing your peaceful support for the Palestinian cause,” Abbas told the participants. 

Turkish Youth and Sports Minister Osman Askin Bak, who presented a letter from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Abbas, said that his country would never stop supporting the Palestinian cause.

“It is a duty for all of us to protect the status of the holy lands in Palestine,” said Bak.

“Our young people are very excited, desiring to visit al Quds and al Aqsa,” he added. 

The summit, organised by the Islamic Conference Youth Forum for Dialogue and Co-operation (ICYF-DC), aims to raise international awareness of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land, and to help develop better conditions for the youth across Palestine.

ICYF-DC President Elshad Iskandarov said that they had faced several difficulties, including as blackmail after the selection of Jerusalem as the youth capital.

“With great determination, we are going to launch more than 20 projects on academics, cultural, and social affairs,” Iskandarov said, adding they would step up efforts to raise awareness for the struggle of the Palestinian people.

Earlier in the day, ministers and high-level delegations from 30 Muslim-majority countries, including Turkey, Azerbaijan, Qatar, Kuwait, and Turkmenistan, held a meeting where they pledged financial support for Palestine to improve health, education, and infrastructure.

The delegations then visited the tomb of Yasser Arafat, the veteran leader of Palestinians, who was the symbol of the Palestinian struggle. 

They also visited a  museum dedicated to Arafat, which was built behind Arafat's mausoleum inside the headquarters of the Palestinian presidency in Ramallah.