President of Republic at Mediterranean Dialogue Eighth Session: Inclusive Development Requires Entrenched Security, Lasting Peace
Security in Today’s World is no longer limited to the defense of territorial integrity, but includes the preservation of social cohesion, the security of individuals and groups against extremism and terrorism. It also requires the propagation of the values of tolerance, openness, and justice, which are the origin and essence of divine religions”.
This was affirmed by Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, the President of the Republic, on 2 December, in Rome, in his speech before the eighth session of the Mediterranean dialogue.
He added that in view of the depth of interdependence and mutual influence between the different States, security is no longer the prerogative of each State, independently of the others, but that it is a matter of an international collective affair.
The President of the Republic noted that lasting peace can only be achieved in a context that guarantees the security of all and allows inclusive and sustainable development.
Here is the full text of the President of the Republic’s speech:
“Excellency Mr. Sergio Mattarella, the President of the Republic of Italy.
Excellencies; Ladies and gentlemen.
From the start, I would like to express my sincere thanks to Mr. Sergio Mattarella, the President of the Republic of Italy for the perfect organization of the eighth session of the Mediterranean dialogue and for the generous invitation he extended to me.
I highly appreciate the pioneering role of the Mediterranean dialogues which over time, and session after session, has contributed to anchoring its position as a framework for consultation on the major questions of security and development; questions on which the destiny of the peoples depends on both shores of the Mediterranean.
Admittedly, our country, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, does not have an opening on the shores of the Mediterranean, but remains its first window on the Sahelian states and those of sub-Saharan Africa.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The current security situation in our world is extremely dangerous due to the expansion of hotbeds of tension, armed conflicts, social unrest, and the growing spread of extremism, terrorism, and organized crime.
This situation is further complicated by the emergence of certain hotbeds of tension and armed conflict, which, once out of control, can create additional danger.
This serious security situation, due to the resulting disruption of supply chains and skyrocketing energy and food prices and subsequent inflation, economic stagnation, and deterioration of the purchasing power of citizens have a profound impact on various aspects of life. All of this at a time when the world has yet to fully recover from the catastrophic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The slogan of this eighth edition of the Mediterranean Dialogue, “Security and Development”, summarizes the two main pillars from which come the most important challenges, and which determine the destiny of the people of this region, even of the whole world; since security and development are closely linked. No growth, and no global development can be achieved outside the framework of a secure and lasting peace.
Based on this reality, we have adopted, in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, an integrated strategy in our approach to security challenges that revolves around the following axes:
– The modernization and capacity building of our armed and security forces. Our efforts in this regard have focused on the training, development, and improvement of the operational capabilities of the army and security forces, the strengthening of intelligence networks, the reorganization of the security system and the creation of special units, as well as active coordination with regional and international partners.
-Strengthening the legal arsenal for the prosecution of terrorist acts by accelerating the criminal treatment of related offences,
-Drying up the sources of funding for terrorist activities by carefully monitoring capital flows, regulating procedures for the disbursement and movement of funds, and monitoring fictitious NGOs.
-Fighting against illegal migration, which is a challenge not only for Mauritania as a transit state, but also for the host countries of migrants. In this context, we have adopted a series of resolute actions and put in place an effective legal arsenal to reduce the flow of illegal immigrants, prevent human trafficking and other transnational practices and crimes, in conjunction with great efforts to strengthen social cohesion, fight against poverty, precariousness, and exclusion and consolidate good governance and individual and collective freedoms.
-Our strategy is not limited to the security and development aspects but includes an intellectual and ideological dimension. This is an essential component, because ideological extremism is often the source of violence in deeds and words. With a favorable environment, extremist thinking evolves into destructive and dangerous terrorist violence. Therefore, we have worked to promote and cleanse the minds of the germs of intellectual violence by spreading the culture of peace and love as well as popularizing the values of our holy religion such as tolerance, moderation, and brotherhood.
We have also been eager to correct certain false intellectual and religious interpretations, believing that the victory over violence and terrorism will only be lasting if it considers both the intellectual and security dimensions. Our Ulemas therefore organized multiple dialogues with our young people and brought many of them to their senses. They received all the support they needed to reintegrate into social life. The Peace Forum organizes an annual African Peace Conference with the collaboration of the Abu Dhabi Peace Forum.
In short, security in today’s world is no longer limited to the defense of territorial integrity but includes the preservation of social cohesion and the security of individuals and groups in the face of extremism and terrorism, as well as the propagation of the values of tolerance, openness, and justice, which are the source of the divine religions and their essence.
Given the depth of interdependence and mutual influence between different states, security is no longer carried out by each state independently of the others but is an international collective affair. Any lasting peace can only be achieved in a context that guarantees the security of all and allows inclusive and sustainable development.
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
The Mediterranean dialogue has become an example of openness, acceptance of others, and dialogue to promote collective action in the face of common challenges. And as I renew my joy and satisfaction at participating in this eighth edition of this Mediterranean dialogue, I am sure that it will contribute positively to strengthening our collective capacity to promote our economic integration.
It will also make it possible to operationalize all the processes and agreements that will stimulate investments and develop partnerships to jointly build a region where inclusive and sustainable development evolves with firm security and lasting peace.
Thank you.”