In the name of God The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,
Your Excellency my brother President Beji Caid Essebsi,
Your Excellencies and Highnesses,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
At the outset I am pleased to extend my sincere thanks to His Excellency President Beji Caid Essebsi, the people and the Government of the sisterly Republic of Tunisia, for the hospitality, warm reception and remarkable organisation of this important conference, which is taking place with the aim to support the sisterly Tunisia amid very delicate conditions and major political and economic challenges at the regional and international levels, doubling the significance of convening this conference.
The wide international participation in this conference reflects the status and respect enjoyed by Tunisia in the region and the world, and the extent of interest in its promising experiment, as well as the keenness to support and help it cope with economic challenges, which could be decisive in determining the fate of this experiment.
The success of development programmes in Tunisia is a goal in itself to achieve a better life for the brotherly people of Tunisia and to secure the success of their experiment in good governance and the organisation of political life under pluralism. In addition, economic development leads to creating job opportunities for young people which would contribute to solving the unemployment problem and preventing negative co-related phenomena, such as despair and extremism.
Mr President,
Qatari support for the sisterly Tunisia is increasing steadily and the State of Qatar will continue to back Tunisia's efforts to achieve its desired development. We look forward to strengthening cooperation and supporting partnership relations between the two brotherly countries in various fields for the benefit of both.
This conference is a paradigm of what should be done by the international community to lend a helping hand to make promising experiments a success, instead of lobbying for consultation in the aftermath of disasters. We remind our friends, and friends of the Tunisian people in the world, that the best and safest way to confront extremism and violence is protection, because there is no guaranteed remedy when the phenomenon becomes widespread.
We are all aware that the war on terrorism is required, necessary, and unavoidable, but it is not a cure, as proven by trial since the emergence of this phenomenon and ensuing practices. We have people in Tunisia who decided to build their country on the basis of pluralism, human dignity and freedom, as well as on the basis of the common denominator between the political forces, i.e., the interests of Tunisia, away from tyranny. Are we going to help them to make their experiment a success, or stand idly by to watch them face difficulties alone and come later to look into the reasons for despair and frustration and their ensuing destructive results? The countries that decided to attend have answered this question correctly and responsibly, and we commend them for that.
On this occasion, I am pleased to announce the allocation of $1.25 billion as a contribution by the State of Qatar to support Tunisia’s economy and promote its developmental drive.
In conclusion, I wish this conference every success in achieving the desired objectives to empower Tunisia to make its economic transition a success, following its successful peaceful political transition which has become a role model.
May God’s Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon you.