TEHRAN – President Hassan Rouhani underlined the need for unity and cooperation among Muslim countries as the key to rid the world of violence and reach permanent peace.

Rouhani made the remarks in an address to the first Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit on science and technology in the Kazakh capital, Astana, on Sunday.

“We have all reached a consensus that the Muslim world is a crucial and effective part of the system of the universe, and its capability, progress and stability leads to global capability, progress and stability.”

Rouhani said weakness, backwardness and disunity among Muslim countries would make sustainable peace, inclusive development and effective conversion impossible to reach.

“Therefore, consensus, concord and cooperation among members of the great Islamic world in order to enter the developed world is in fact a joint effort to build a world free of ignorance, poverty, war and violence,” he added.

He also stressed that cooperation in the field of science and technology has strategic political and social importance.

Today, he said, the Muslim world feels the need for solidarity and unity more than ever as it is grappling with multiple crises, such as Israeli crimes against the Palestinians, atrocities by Buddhist extremists against Rohingya in Myanmar, humanitarian catastrophes created by extremist groups in Syria and Iraq and the continuation of the Saudi war on Yemen.

Elsewhere in his address, the Iranian president said the OIC summit had the potential to be turned into a milestone in the history of scientific cooperation in the Muslim world.

“Let’s put aside divisions being sowed by the enemies of Islam and warmongering powers, who see their benefit in dividing us, and open new grounds for scientific and technological cooperation as well as further renovation of our countries,” he said.

Rouhani also expressed the Islamic Republic’s readiness to cooperate with all Muslim countries and nations in the area of science, technology and innovation.

Rouhani underlined the strategic political and social importance of promoting cooperation on science and technology, calling that a forerunner for developments in different sectors.

Speaking at the summit, Rouhani underlined that Iranian government’s active policy in supporting knowledge-based corporations has led to growth and development of thousands of corporations in area of new technologies and exporting high and medium technology products from Iran has increased from $1.5b to $12.1b which had a positive impact on our positive trade balance.