Rabat – HM King Mohammed VI addressed a massage to the participants in the 4th session of the Arab-TurkishCooperation Forum, opened on Wednesday in Rabat.
Here follows the full text of the royal message:
Praise be to God May peace and blessings be upon the Prophet, His Kith and Kin.
Your Highnesses,
Your Excellencies,
Mr. Secretary-General of the League of Arab States,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure for me to welcome you to the Kingdom of Morocco, and an honor for my country to host this distinguished Fourth Ministerial Forum. We hope it will be another milestone in the development of our partnership with the Republic of Turkey, signaling a qualitative leap in our relations.
We look forward to making this forum a platform for regular, strategic dialogue with this country which is steeped in history. We also want it to be a tool for the best use of our respective capabilities, energies and opportunities. To be vibrant, this dialogue requires that we take into account not only the approach, traditions, pace of growth and level of development of each partner country, but also our shared principles and common interests, in a spirit of mutual esteem and good neighborliness, while respecting our countries’ sovereignty, national unity and territorial integrity.
Over the decades, Morocco has gradually applied a clear-sighted policy to promote political openness and pluralism. Seeking to uphold both the spirit and the democratic character of the new Constitution, the King and the people of Morocco are giving substance to the future-oriented, irreversible choice made by the nation to further promote its model of democracy, with resolve and confidence. The aim is to strengthen the rule of law and the institution-based State, foster good governance and promote the strategic institutions that guarantee not only entrepreneurship, fair competition and transparent transactions, but also human dignity, citizens’ rights and freedoms as well as the exercise of true citizenship, in a society based on justice and equity between different groups and regions.
In this respect, Morocco, which was keen from the outset to react positively to the legitimate aspirations of peoples in the Maghreb and Arab regions, emphasizes the urgent need to interact with the impressive changes unfolding in a number of Arab countries, and to seek to build a better future, in which the legitimate aspirations of our responsible, ambitious young people are met.
This is why we are calling for the establishment of a new Maghreb order, which can be a driving force at Arab regional level, a major player in Euro-Mediterranean cooperation, and a key element conducive not only to security and stability in the Sahel and Sahara region, but also to African integration.
At the same time, we have embarked on an ambitious process to forge an advanced partnership between Morocco and the Gulf countries with a view to consolidating our close ties and furthering our strategic interests. We firmly believe this commendable, promising initiative will reflect the vibrant, abiding solidarity with our brothers in the Gulf countries, and serve to promote Arab causes and their lofty goals.
The Arab world – the Eastern as well as the Western parts – is at a crucial juncture. There is no room for wait-and-see attitudes or inertia, both of which are contrary to the spirit of current times. Nor is it possible to delude oneself with obsolete, empty slogans. We believe it is imperative to transcend attitudes that are trapped in the past and that clash with the course of history. Instead, we should opt for a future-oriented alternative, based on collective action and reliance on ourselves and our own capabilities to achieve coherent, comprehensive Arab development rooted in economic complementarity and interdependence, solidarity and human development. The aim should be to reduce poverty and vulnerability, to fight unemployment and illiteracy, and to eliminate all forms of marginalization, social exclusion and discrimination.
Building on this rock-solid foundation, we look forward to the emergence of a renovated Arab order that heeds the citizens’ concerns, upholds good governance, provides a dignified life and paves the way for efficient joint Arab action which anticipates disputes and prevents crises from erupting; a modern, efficient order that contributes to the success of our multilateral dialogue with influential countries as well as with similar groupings, building on a clearer, more realistic and coherent vision.
Your Highnesses,
Your Excellencies,
Mr. Secretary-General of the League of Arab States,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As we firmly believe that Arab-Turkish cooperation is a key element in this open, participatory approach, we will spare no effort to give concrete substance to our partnership, and to develop its mechanisms so as to achieve our goals, in accordance with the Forum’s plan of action.
We recall, with great pride, the common history and the special, uninterrupted diplomatic and cultural relations which existed for centuries between the time-honored Moroccan State and the Ottoman rule. These relations were based on a common commitment to our spiritual values and on a shared determination to confront the greed of foreign powers, in a spirit of constructive interaction and mutual esteem. Today, we are keen to further strengthen and expand these longstanding ties. We value all that has been accomplished at the bilateral level, allowing our trade relations to increase threefold since the free trade agreement between our two countries came into effect in 2006.
In this regard, I commend the active involvement of Moroccan and Turkish businesses in various economic and production sectors.
I also intend to broaden political consultation with this influential country, especially with regard to supporting the just Palestinian cause and achieving security, peace and stability in the Middle East. Regrettably, this region has been suffering for more than half a century from the worst forms of occupation and aggression, blockade and oppression. Worse still, because of the continuing impasse in the negotiations and the growing tensions and threats, great perils are now looming over all the countries of that sensitive region.
As President of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s Al-Quds Committee, I hereby reiterate our full support for the Palestinian people, under the leadership of the Palestinian National Authority. I urge the international community, especially the “Quartet” and the Security Council, to take serious, immediate action to compel Israel to put an end to its provocative, unilateral settlement practices as a prelude to returning to the negotiating table, with a view to establishing a Palestinian State that has all the attributes of sovereignty and sustainability, with the Eastern part of Al-Quds as its capital.
We commend the increasing number of international reactions rejecting and condemning the recent Israeli settlement practices in the West Bank, particularly in the occupied city of Al-Quds. On behalf of the Islamic group, we strongly condemn these unjust practices which are inconsistent with international law and the relevant UN resolutions.
By the Grace of the Almighty, we shall keep up our efforts and pursue our endeavors to support our fellow brothers in Al-Quds, and to secure international backing in order to protect the particular legal status of Al-Quds, preserve the sanctity of this usurped city, and safeguard its spiritual and cultural character as a land of tolerance and of outright rejection of hatred and extremism – a time-honored seat and symbol of inter-faith coexistence.
Your Highnesses,
Your Excellencies,
Mr. Secretary-General of the League of Arab States,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The convening of this session under exceptional circumstances, transitions and transformations in several Arab countries is, in itself, a precious regional advantage. It provides us with an historic opportunity to close ranks to and to rise to pressing challenges. To that end, we must address our strategic, security, development and cultural issues in a bold, responsible manner. We must commit to a new, enlightened vision in order to create the right conditions for a safe, prosperous and solidarity-based environment for all peoples in the region.
The adoption of the “Rabat Initiative for a comprehensive, sustainable Arab-Turkish partnership” as a strategic, operational mechanism, and of the Forum’s medium-term Plan of Action for the years 2012-2015 will help us develop a road map that will make this promising framework more vibrant, be it in terms of political dialogue, or economic, cultural and social cooperation.
This will, in turn, enable us to ensure the practical implementation of this Initiative and highlight its effectiveness in building cultural bridges of dialogue between different civilizations as well as in helping us accomplish the Millennium Development Goals.
Once again, welcome to your second home, Morocco. I pray to Almighty God that the Rabat session will be a success, as you build on the longstanding historical bonds uniting us, and realize the need to rise to the current situation and the ongoing regional and global transformations. I hope you will make sure this high-level Forum contributes to setting up a strategic partnership, thereby reflecting not only our profound attachment to a common cultural heritage, but also a strong will to fulfill the aspirations of our peoples, and to meet the requirements of our regional environment and the modern world. May Almighty God guide your action and grant you every success. He is the Best to protect and the Best to help.
