Qatar strongly condemns the crime of burning the copies of Holy Quran, considering it to be a racist crime that fuels feelings of hatred and Islamophobia and threatens peace and stability in the world, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs HE Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi has said.

Speaking at the ministerial meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, under the title ‘Non-Aligned Movement, United and steadfast in confronting emerging challenges’, Muraikhi called for collective measures to prevent the recurrence of such crimes, which contradict the values of freedom and justice, and undermine communication between peoples and nations.

He said Qatar believes in and also supports the objectives and principles of NAM, which over more than six decades has proven effective in preserving the independence of its members’ decision-making, easing international tension, opposing the polarisation policies, supporting the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, and supporting international peace and security.

He said Qatar believes in the importance of the NAM’s effective platform to enhance multilateralism and solidarity between countries in various issues of common interest, pointing out that cooperation and coordination for the common interest is a priority factor of Qatar’s foreign policy. He added that Qatar has been constantly stressing the peaceful settlement of disputes as an essential factor for achieving and ensuring security, peace, stability and development at the international, regional and local levels.

He stressed that the Palestinian issue was one of the most important, central issues for the Non-Aligned Movement, noting that the current period was witnessing a dangerous escalation and abhorrent racist practices by the Israeli occupation authorities against the Palestinian people, adding that it calls for the movement to reiterate its position regarding achieving a permanent settlement to the conflict in line with international law and international legitimacy based on the two-state solution and the establishment of the Palestinian state on the borders of 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

He also stressed the need to condemn the repeated attacks on the Palestinian people and their sanctities, and condemn illegal settlement in the occupied Palestinian territories.