Here follows King Mohammed VI’s full text of his speech to participants of the 13th Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), a speech read out by the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Salaheddine Mezouar.
“Praise be to God
May peace and blessings be upon The Prophet, His Kith and Kin
Your Excellency Mr Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the Republic of Turkey, Chairman of the 13th Islamic Summit,
Your Majesties, Your Excellencies, Your Highnesses,
Your Excellency Mr Iyad Ameen Madani, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like, first of all, to extend my congratulations to His Excellency Mr Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the Republic of Turkey, whose country is chairing, for the first time, the Islamic Summit, in its 13th session. This will bring added value to the Islamic joint action and consolidate “unity and solidarity for justice and peace”, which is the theme chosen for this session.
I would also like to express my deepest thanks to His Excellency Mr Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, for his personal endeavours as well as for the efforts made by Egypt during its chairmanship of the 12th Islamic Summit to uphold Islamic just causes.
Your Majesties, Your Excellencies, Your Highnesses,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Our Summit is convening at a time when member states of our organization, such as Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Libya, are grappling with a series of simultaneous crises, with heightened internal repercussions and escalating regional consequences. Furthermore, sectarian division, fanaticism and terrorism are gaining more ground, hence the need to identify the causes of this abnormal, high-risk situation and to determine the reasons why the Islamic world is affected by it, both as a source and a target.
The answers to these questions are particularly important as some parties, here and there, are trying to take advantage of a fragile situation such as this in order to fuel separatist trends and redraw the map of the Islamic world, on a basis which ignores historical and identity-related facts, denies specificities and inherent characteristics and unveils premeditated designs to meddle in the future of nations, jeopardizing world security and stability.
However, the current situation is not an inevitable fatality for the Islamic Ummah, which has always been the cradle of lofty spiritual values and the champion of enlightenment and moderation, and whose valuable contribution to building human civilization is largely attested by history.
Indeed, these values have allowed the principles of coexistence, interfaith tolerance and respect for minorities to be enshrined in Islamic communities, where different ethnic groups have managed to blend and merge into a civilizational identity based on pluralism and diversity, as evidenced by history.
The situation has worsened with the spread within western communities of Islamophobia, along with fear, suspicion and hatred towards Muslim minorities, during the last decades. These minorities are mainly made up of migrants from Muslim countries, who are part of western communities committed to human rights, as well as positive interaction, tolerance and solidarity.
Anti-Islam rhetoric is also gaining ground in the West, stirring up feelings of hatred and rallying public opinions against Islam, as part of the alarmingly spreading phenomenon of Islamophobia.
The identification and critical analysis of the causes behind the current situation, as well as an objective assessment of historical responsibilities, at the local, regional and international levels, should help overcome this challenging phase. This can be achieved by designing and implementing appropriate strategies and reform programs, which take into consideration national specificities, while drawing on both regional and international solidarity and cooperation.
Your Majesties, Your Excellencies, Your Highnesses,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a not a prerequisite for us, as member states, to have the same abilities and resources, as long as we subscribe to the shared values and objectives we have enshrined in our organization’s charter. As an almost global bloc, boasting more than a billion Muslims, our strength will be commensurate with our ability to seize every available opportunity to achieve complementarity. It will also depend on how much we benefit from the lessons of our history and from experiences lived by other blocs that have reached advanced levels of integration and joint construction.
In this regard, boosting and expanding South-South cooperation -based on trust, realism and shared interests – among member states, mainly through extensive exchange of experiences, will enable us to develop our relations and promote solidarity between our societies, at all levels, with a view to enhancing our productivity and strengthening our economies, in order to ensure decent living conditions and prosperity for our peoples.
Our organization’s last ten-year plan has contributed to doubling trade between member states. We very much hope the upcoming comprehensive plan of action, which is expected to be adopted during our current meeting, will more than double it.
Any measures this meeting may call for in order to develop our economic blocs will be highly appreciated, with the prospect of creating an Islamic free-trade zone that will embody the spirit of solidarity and pave the way for a model of sustainable development based on and aimed at human development, which I called for during the Dakar Summit.
Your Majesties, Your Excellencies, Your Highnesses,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
There is yet another source of power for us to draw on; that is our faith in the justness of our primary cause: the al-Quds and Palestinian cause, which unites us all. As King of Morocco and Chairman of the OIC al-Quds Committee, I reaffirm that Morocco, its King, Government and people, are mobilized, with all the political, legal and practical means available, for the defence of al-Quds and Palestine.
As Chairman of the al-Quds Committee, which puts forward proposals and is prompt to move and mobilize the necessary means to undertake field work for the defence of al-Quds, I have endeavoured to adopt an approach combining political action and diplomatic efforts to highlight the legitimate rights and also work on the ground, through tangible projects implemented by the Bayt Mal al-Quds al-Sharif Agency, with a view to providing support to al-Quds inhabitants and saving the holy city, which is the core and the key element of the conflict.
In this context, I express my support to the call made by my brother His Excellency Mr Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine, to hold an international peace conference to end Israeli occupation, as a major step towards ending the dire and explosive situation in Palestine and restoring hope in finding a just and comprehensive peace settlement, based on the two-state solution.
I also reiterate my support for the French initiative aimed at bringing the Palestinian and Israeli parties back to the negotiating table, in order to put an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land, following a clear timetable.
We, leaders and peoples, are making every effort to support our Palestinian brothers, to enable them to establish a Palestinian State, within the June 4, 1967 borders, with East al-Quds as its capital, in accordance with international resolutions, as we stressed during our 5th Extraordinary Summit in Jakarta last month. Similarly, we must continue our mobilization, with the same determination, to protect al-Quds from the systematic Judaization policy imposed on the city on a daily basis and on the ground, and to respond to the renewed needs and priorities of its Palestinian inhabitants.
Supporting the Bayt Mal al-Quds al-Sharif Agency is henceforth a necessity, dictated by our joint action within the organization, to translate our faith in solidarity and cooperation with al-Quds inhabitants into constructive programs, particularly when it comes to helping deprived families and building public facilities, namely in the fields of health and education.
May Almighty God assist us in upholding our just causes, serving our nations and achieving security and development for our peoples.
“Say, Work. God will see your work, and so will His Messenger, and the believers”. True is the word of God.
Wassalamu alaikum warahmatullah wabarakatuh.”
