Opening Ceremony of the 41st COMCEC Meeting

I greet you with my most heartfelt feelings of respect and love. As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. On the occasion of the 41st ISEDAK ministers' meeting, I am delighted to have you as guests in our beautiful Istanbul, the heart of the three continents. I offer my heartfelt thanks to each of our guests who hosted our program. Welcome to Turkey and Istanbul. I send my greetings and love to each of my brothers and sisters living in different parts of the world. I wish you all the best. As of Saturday, many panels, meetings and side events have been organized within the organization. Ideas and assessments have been expressed under different titles, from economic and financial cooperation to transportation and communication to sustainable tourism to digital transformation. For this, I thank all the participants with all my heart on behalf of myself and my nation. I hope that all these efforts will strengthen the friendship, love and solidarity between us and contribute to our relations. My dear brothers and sisters, We have witnessed historical developments all over the world, especially in the Middle East, since our last meeting. You know, I mentioned the suffering of the Syrian people to you from this course for years. For about 14 years, our Syrian brothers and sisters have paid heavy prices. In the attacks of the Ba'ath regime and terrorist organizations, our Syrian brothers and sisters lost nearly 1 million lives. As Turkey has 3.6 million people, millions of them had to migrate to other countries. In this process, we hosted Syrian refugees with the most sincere consciousness. We tried to fulfill our duty of brotherhood and neighborliness in the best way. Thank God, in the end, there were Syrian refugees who achieved victory. The cruelties that turned Syria into a bloodbath for 14 years finally came to an end with the December 8 revolution. President of Syria, Mr. Ahmet Şahrağan, has entered the process of re-gathering under his strong leadership. Here again, I remember our Syrian brothers and sisters who fell to the ground for their freedom with mercy. I say, may God make their places heaven. After a long break in Syria, I would like to say that I am very pleased to be represented at the ISEDAK ministers' meeting. As Turkey, we continue to support the Syrian people from transportation, education, security, trade, health, and social services. The protection of the political unity of the country and the integrity of the land is very important for our organization and the support of the Islamic world for the permanent prosperity of our Syrian brothers and sisters. The integration of Syria with the regional economies will provide concrete contributions to both Syria and our region. Our intensification in the implementation of transportation projects, which form the most critical foot of integration, is undoubtedly vital. I would like to express this with great satisfaction. The sanctions, which pose a serious obstacle to the economic recovery in Syria, are being lifted bit by bit with our efforts. At this stage, we encourage the private sector to direct its investments to the Syrian field. It is our basic priority for our neighbor Syria to rise again and return to its old days as soon as possible. To this end, we are launching a special support program for Syria under the ISEDAK roof today. With this program, which will contribute to the strengthening of human and institutional capacity, we will provide project support to Syria in areas such as education, expert exchange, need analysis and feasibility studies. I believe that our member countries will make very valuable contributions to the implementation of the program. Today, I also welcome our brothers and sisters from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. I also welcome them with all my heart. The Turkish people of Cyprus are an integral part of the Islamic world. Unfortunately, they have been subject to an unjust, unlawful and merciless isolation for decades. Despite this, our Turkish Cypriot brothers did not submit to the pressures. They did not give up their will to live honorably in their own countries. They did not discuss the equality of sovereignty. We are receiving strong signals that the new imperialist game in our region, the island of Cyprus, is also wanted to be added to the menu. I think it is very important for our organization to strengthen and strengthen with the Turkish people of Cyprus. I expect you to support the right, freedom and justice struggle that the Turkish Cypriots have carried out on the basis of the two-state solution. God willing, as a homeland and a guarantor country, we will always be on their side in their just cause, which will never leave the Turkish Cypriot people alone. Dear brothers and sisters, As the Islamic world, we are experiencing a very difficult period in which our conscience and resilience are tested. In this period, we need to be more strict with each other, and we need to be decisive and right-minded about the problems that concern us all. Our Prophet, who was sent as a guide to humanity and mercy to the worlds, said in a hadith sharif, The relationship of Muslims with other Muslims is like a building that is wedged to each other. Yes, let's bring the relations between us to such a level that this building will always remain solid. It should not be affected in any way by disturbances, attacks or attacks. I say this especially for this, my brothers. You know, Gaza has been one of the wildest, most barbaric genocide of the last century for the past two years. More than 70,000 Palestinian Israeli occupying forces were massacred. 170,000 of our brothers were injured. There are still unreachable martyrs' funerals in Gaza, which has turned into a huge massacre. It is a great destruction that costs tens of billions of dollars. Even if the remains are removed, the traces of the trauma of the innocent children killed in front of their parents' eyes may never be erased. The wounds that the international organizations have opened in the hearts of the Gazans may never be healed. This brutality and genocide will never be forgotten. Here I have to express this by drawing the gold. Turkey has become one of the countries that have reacted most strongly to this genocide since the first day of the Israeli attacks. With our humanitarian aid over 102,000 tons, with our initiatives on international platforms, we stood up to the oppressors with the steps we took on the grounds of international law. We made great efforts to ensure permanent ceasefire and a just peace. With the members of the Islamic Cooperation Organization, the Arab League, the Gaza Contact Group, and the international community with conscience, we kept this cruelty, which our brothers in Gaza suffered, on the agenda of the international community. We have begun to receive positive results of our efforts. The Hamas-Israeli talks in Egypt, where we contributed, were concluded with ceasefire. I would like to thank all the regional countries that have supported the process, especially Qatar and Egypt. I believe that we will continue this example-based stance in a much stronger way in the coming period. Likewise, I would like to thank President Trump again for his determination to establish a ceasefire. I see that Hamas is very determined to reach an agreement. However, we all know that Israel's record on this issue is very bad. We are facing an administration that is hiding behind various excuses and is killing more than 200 innocent people on this side of the ceasefire agreement, and is occupying and attacking the West Sharia. This is a fact that not only civilians, but also those who are going to peace will never be able to find a just and permanent solution to the Israeli-Palestinian issue. At this point, we need to reach more humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza, and then we need to start construction work again. The Israeli government is doing its best to prevent this. We believe that the Arab League and the Islamic Union should be re-established as soon as possible. In addition, it is essential that the organization and Issad Akin play a leading role in the re-establishment of Gaza. We cannot allow the West Sharia to be involved, the status of Jerusalem to be changed, or our first qibla to harm the sanctity of Masjid al-Aqsa. We will continue our struggle until the establishment of a Palestinian state with independent sovereignty and geographical integrity, which is the capital of East Jerusalem, on the basis of 1967 borders. At this point, I would like to draw your attention to the ongoing conflict in Sudan for 29 months. No one can accept the massacres against civilians in El Fesir in recent days. We cannot remain silent about this. The biggest responsibility for stopping the blood flowing in Sudan as soon as possible is undoubtedly the Islamic world. As Muslims, we must be able to solve our problems ourselves instead of asking for help from others. We must protect Sudan's territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence. It is important for us to be with the people of Sudan in these difficult days, to continue our humanitarian aid and support for the recovery. I believe with all my heart that all the countries that have joined the organization will work together to achieve peace, tranquility and security in the framework of our brotherly law. Dear brothers and sisters, The effects of protective measures, which are rapidly increasing in number, have begun to be felt more intensely in international trade. It is estimated that global growth, which took place at 3.7% per annum in 20 years before the outbreak, will decrease by 3% in 2025-2030. These data not only indicate an economic stagnation, but also a new balance of global economic policies. Our countries have once again shown how vital their cooperation is in the face of risks and uncertainties. When we look at the past 50 years of the Islamic Cooperation Organization, it is an indelible fact that our countries have not received the share they deserve from global trade. In today's process, while the average per capita income in member-states is rising from $1,169 to $4,453, the world average has risen from $2,611 to $13,000 in the same years. Our share in global trade, on the other hand, has remained at a level of 11%. We are well behind the trade target we set as 25% among the members of the Islamic Cooperation Organization. The Islamic world, which accounts for 60% of the world's natural gas reserves, 65% of its oil resources, and 25% of its global population, has not yet reached the position we desire in international trade. It is of course possible for us to take steps to change this situation. The joint program and projects we carry out in the Islamic world are of great importance at this point. With the aim of strengthening trade between us, the efforts to increase the number of members of the preferred trade system we implemented in 2022 and to expand its scope are of great importance. We look forward to the support of all members of the Islamic world to the efforts to turn this system into a new generation of trade agreements. I invite countries that are not yet a party to the preferred trade system to join us, and countries that are a party to it to deepen our cooperation in the field of trade. Dear brothers and sisters, I believe that the new cooperation opportunities in trade will be beneficial for the discussion of this year's meeting to develop the export strategies and to create concrete roadmaps. Of course, while diversifying our exports, it is necessary for us to build high-income and competitive economies. In order for COBI to reach financing, we must intensify Islamic finance products, make export loans and insurance systems in accordance with Islamic principles. We are creating strong cooperation networks between ISADAK and COBI. I call on countries that are not yet a party to participate in this program and take advantage of the work carried out. On the other hand, it is a great opportunity to increase trade between our member countries in terms of halal certification. For this purpose, I consider it important that halal accreditation institutions established two years ago complete the technical studies of the Islamic Forum and start activities related to it in 2026. Another way to increase our trade relations is to establish a control mechanism. I personally believe that the Islamic Cooperation Organization, the control center, will make significant contributions to our joint efforts. I trust your support to make the center more recognized and to be one of the first to come to mind in the litigation cases. Dear guests, this year, ISADAK has addressed many issues that are important for the development of Islamic countries within the framework of its work groups. So far, ISADAK has supported 180 projects through its project support programs. I am very pleased that 56 of our countries have participated in these activities as both project owners and beneficiaries. This year, we are implementing 23 more projects within the framework of the ISADAK project funding. This year, we are adding 8 more projects to the 20 projects we have implemented within the framework of the ISADAK Kudüs program. I would like to thank each and every one of my brothers and sisters who have contributed to these projects. I wish that the 41st ISADAK Ministers' Meeting will be another opportunity for good. I would like to thank all my brothers and sisters who attended our meeting. Once again, I would like to thank you all. I greet you all with love and respect. I entrust you to God. Stay healthy. I would like to thank President of Turkey and President of ISADAK, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.