UN Supports Initiative of Building Bridges of Understanding, Peace between East and West

UN Sec-Gen Antonio Guterres with MWL Sec-Gen Mohammed al-Issa (Asharq Al-Awsat)
UN Sec-Gen Antonio Guterres with MWL Sec-Gen Mohammed al-Issa (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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UN Supports Initiative of Building Bridges of Understanding, Peace between East and West

UN Sec-Gen Antonio Guterres with MWL Sec-Gen Mohammed al-Issa (Asharq Al-Awsat)
UN Sec-Gen Antonio Guterres with MWL Sec-Gen Mohammed al-Issa (Asharq Al-Awsat)

UN Sec-Gen Antonio Guterres affirmed his full support for the Muslim World League (MWL), especially in promoting the values of moderation around the world.

Guterres received the MWL Sec-Gen Mohammed al-Issa following the initiative's launch: "Building Bridges of Understanding and Peace between East and West."

Issa launched the initiative at the UN Headquarters, with the participation of the UN Presidency and its General Secretariat, the High Representative of the Alliance of Civilizations, and the presence of senior international, religious, political, and intellectual leadership.

The UN Sec-Gen said that religious leaders have a significant role in supporting peace and harmony, stressing that religions are not the cause of wars in the world, but rather they bring people together.

The meeting witnessed a discussion of issues of common interest between the UN and the MWL and enhanced prospects for bilateral cooperation.

They addressed the outputs and programs of the initiative and the mechanisms for activating them.

It witnessed the interaction of international and UN leaders and religious, intellectual, and academic leadership, who reiterated the importance of this initiative in their speeches.

The leaders announced their full support for expanding the initiative's scope as part of the international institutional activity pivotal to the peace and harmony of the world and its societies.

They also asserted the importance of activating the initiative's ideas on the ground, including launching a global day for the Alliance of Civilizations between East and West, stressing the importance of respecting the specifics of each civilization's religious and cultural identity.

Issa praised the wisdom of the United Nations in dealing with religious issues around the world and harnessing the provisions of its charter to bring about peace, sensing the importance of the significant religious contribution.

He stated that about 80 percent of people worldwide respect religions and believe in their contribution to peace and harmony, especially the enhancement of coexistence.

The MWL leader commended the UN Charter and expressed his appreciation to the UN Secretary-General for supporting the League's latest conference: "Building Bridges of Understanding and Peace between East and West," at the headquarters in New York.

He warned against the danger of the discourse on the civilizational conflict between East and West and the division of the world into warring camps, calling on the countries worldwide to work for the success of their UN Charter.

Issa's speech addressed the dangers of materialistic exploitation of religion, shedding light on the League's efforts as regards climate files, immigrant and displaced issues, and other pressing issues in the world.

Issa declared that the UN Secretary-General affirmed his full support for the work of the League, especially in promoting the values of moderation around the world.

"The international organization is working to combat Islamophobia and hatred of the other."

The UN Secretary-General confirmed that there is an unreal image of Islam and that social media sites increase hatred due to posting many lies at the expense of correct information.

 



China Promises Latin America ‘Trustworthy’ Ties as Trump Lays Out Demands 

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks to the press following a meeting of the United Nations Security Council at the UN headquarters in New York City, US, February 18, 2025. (Reuters)
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks to the press following a meeting of the United Nations Security Council at the UN headquarters in New York City, US, February 18, 2025. (Reuters)
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China Promises Latin America ‘Trustworthy’ Ties as Trump Lays Out Demands 

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks to the press following a meeting of the United Nations Security Council at the UN headquarters in New York City, US, February 18, 2025. (Reuters)
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks to the press following a meeting of the United Nations Security Council at the UN headquarters in New York City, US, February 18, 2025. (Reuters)

China will always be Latin America's "trustworthy" friend and partner, its foreign minister told his Bolivian counterpart, as Beijing looks to improve its foothold in a region historically under the US sphere of influence.

"Latin America is the home of the Latin American people, and is not any country's 'backyard,'" Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during a meeting at the United Nations on Tuesday, according to a statement from his ministry.

China wants to "continuously elevate the China-Bolivia strategic partnership", Wang told Bolivia's Foreign minister Celinda Sosa.

Bolivia, which established diplomatic ties with Beijing in 1985, is among many countries in South America that have bonded economically with China through debt and investment.

The resource-rich country owes China, the world's biggest bilateral lender, over $1.7 billion according to World Bank data.

Chinese firms have invested a further $6 billion, statistics from the American Enterprise Institute think tank show, mostly in Bolivia's metals, energy and transport sectors.

US foreign direct investment in Bolivia stands at around $430 million, US State Department data shows, predominantly in the oil and gas and manufacturing sectors.

The US and China look set to go toe-to-toe in Central and South America over US President Donald Trump's second term, with Chinese investments in the region, particularly in energy and infrastructure, challenging US influence.

Trump took little time in taking Panama to task over the Central American state's ties to China after taking office, dispatching Secretary of State Marco Rubio with a message to end China's influence over the Panama Canal or face US action.

Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino later said his country would not renew its membership of Chinese President Xi Jinping's flagship Belt and Road Initiative, to Beijing's chagrin.

Trump had refused to rule out the use of military force to take back the Panama Canal in the run up to Rubio's visit.

"China supports Latin American countries in defending their sovereignty, independence and national dignity," Wang said.

He also congratulated Bolivia on becoming a member of BRICS, a group of developing nations founded by Brazil, Russia, India, China to rival a Western-dominated world order. The group has since grown to also include South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Trump has repeatedly warned the BRICS not to challenge the dominance of "the mighty US dollar," and threatened members with a 100% tariff "if they want to play games with the dollar."

But Brazil last week joined the ranks of Latin American states to back down to one of Trump's demands - nixing plans to advance a common currency while it holds the BRICS presidency, lest it trigger a backlash from Trump.

China, Brazil's largest export market, buys almost $70 billion more from Latin America's biggest economy than the US does, according to UN COMTRADE data, but still does not want to put the $37 billion worth of goods it does sell to the American market on the line.

Trump has not held back on threatening to up-end trade ties with the region while China looks to cultivate deeper strategic partnerships with individual Latin American nations, offering the region an alternative pole of economic support.

He has also threatened Mexico and Colombia with punitive trade remedies if they did not take stronger action to curb illegal immigration into the US.

Mexico agreed to reinforce its northern border with 10,000 National Guard members to stem the flow of illegal migrants and drugs.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro backed down from a decision to turn away US military planes carrying deported migrants, pulling it back from back from the brink of a trade war with its biggest export market.