Athens. 11-14 May 2024. Official visit of the MWL Secretary General to Athens. Signing of the Memorandum of Understanding

An official visit of the Secretary General of the Muslim World League (MWL), Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al Issa, took place in Athens on May 11th – 14th, 2024, on the occasion of the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy (IAO).

The MWL is an international non-governmental organization with members from all Islamic countries, founded in 1962, with headquarters in Mecca. The MWL Secretary General is a distinguished personality of known prestige, who has been awarded for the promotion of moderate Islam and his humanitarian action by a multitude of international organizations and foreign countries. The visit of the MWL delegation was initiated by an invitation extended by the IAO, in the context of the initiatives undertaken by the Organization to promote the dialogue between representatives of the Orthodox and the Muslim world, with the aim of mutual understanding, peace and fruitful cooperation.

The IAO Alternate Secretary General, Mr. Ioannis Sarakiotis, welcomed the MWL delegation upon their arrival in Athens. The delegation had the opportunity to visit the archaeological site and the New Museum of Acropolis. In addition, the IAO Secretary General, Dr. Maximos Charakopoulos with the IAO Advisor, Dr. Kostas Mygdalis, accompanied the MWL Secretary General during his tour of the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art where he was informed about the exhibited unique works of art.

The IAO Secretary General in his address in honor of the Saudi Sheikh, he pointed out “we consider it a duty, both of the political and the religious actors, not to remain with bonded hands, but with our words and actions to put the foundation for the consolidation of vision of peace”.

During the official visit, the leadership of the two institutions had the opportunity to meet the Prime Minister of Greece, Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Deputy Speaker of the Hellenic Parliament, Mr. Ioannis Plakiotakis and His Beatitude Ieronymos II, Archbishop of Athens and all Greece.

The Memorandum of Understanding – signed on Tuesday, May 14, in the Hellenic Parliament – consolidates the inter-institutional cooperation of the two organizations for joint actions in fields of mutual interest. The two Organizations demonstrate their faith in multilateral cooperation to face the challenges of globalization, and put at the center of their interest the promotion of independent parliamentarism, the defense of human rights, protection of the environment and the respect of women’s rights. It also underlines the need to jointly address discrimination based on religious grounds and the phenomena of racism, xenophobia and religious extremism by ensuring interfaith and inter-cultural dialogue. Finally, the MoU provides for the establishment of a working group, which will work in order to issue a global declaration on the common values of the two monotheistic religions in the future.

The MoU was signed by the MWL Assistant to the MWL Secretary-General for Corporate Communications, Mr. Abdulwahab bin Mohammed Alshehri and the IAO Advisor Dr. Kostas Mygdalis.

The head of the inter-parliamentary organization declared, “I am sure that today is the beginning of a fruitful cooperation, and it shows the way of peace and hope. It is the culmination of a long joint effort and at the same time the foundation for a fruitful collaboration, which I am sure will have a significant international impact. We hope that the memorandum we signed will quickly transform into initiatives aimed at interfaith and intercultural dialogue, such as the organization of a forum in Athens with the participation of religious and political leaders”.