, Aug. 28 -- Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed has been elected new secretary general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

Ismail Ould, a Mauritanian diplomat and former foreign minister, took the oath of office as secretary general, succeeding Hissein Brahim Taha, in the presence of foreign ministers of the OIC member states.

Earlier, the member states of the OIC elected him as the new secretary general of the Islamic body during the 23rd Extraordinary Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers, held at the OIC headquarters in Jeddah on Thursday.

In an address, the newly elected secretary general said his election was the greatest honour of his career and the highest distinction he had received after more than three decades of in...