Riyadh, September 21 (QNA) - Secretary-General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, Dr. Nayef Falah Mubarak Al-Hajraf stressed that racism plays a major role in stimulating violence and conflicts between groups of society and countries.
On the occasion of the International Day of Peace, which falls on Sep. 21 of each year, Dr. Nayef Falah Mubarak Al-Hajraf said that the Gulf Cooperation Council is pleased with the participation of the international community in celebrating this day, considering that peace constitutes a fundamental value and a well-established vision in the policies and legislation of member states, in addition to its compatibility and consistency with the Islamic religion, which is based mainly on the principle of coexistence and the achievement of lasting peace between peoples, which calls for avoiding wars and rejecting conflicts and extremism of all kinds and forms.
Under this years theme "End racism. Build peace", Dr. Al-Hajraf said that racism plays a major role in stimulating violence and conflicts between groups of society and countries, especially those related to hate speech and contempt for religions and their sanctities and racism based on sectarian and ethnic discrimination.
The GCC Secretary-General expressed his deep pride for the accession of all the GCC states to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and for the efforts and measures provided by the GCC states to eradicate this scourge.
Dr. Al-Hajraf referred to the historic role of the GCC countries and their permanent endeavors to achieve peace and stability in their regional and international surroundings, by taking many initiatives aimed at resolving conflicts in a peaceful manner, promoting the mediation approach and supporting all initiatives aimed at establishing peace, in addition to making efforts to find lasting, just and comprehensive solutions to the conflicts the world is witnessing, in support of the foundations of international legitimacy.
The Secretary-General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf concluded his statement by saying that peace must be one of the most important endeavors of nations and peoples, as it is the best solution to address conflicts and build the foundations of stability in a sustainable manner.
(QNA)