President Bouteflika: “Islam, Arabity and Amazighity Must Be Ruled Out From Political Exploitation”

The President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelaziz Bouteflika, said Tuesday in a message, on the occasion of the celebration of the “International Day of Living Together in Peace”, (May 16th) that the proclamation of this day reflects recognition of Algeria’s salient role in promoting the culture of peace.
“The proclamation of this day reflects the international community’s recognition of our country’s patient and successful efforts to promote a culture of peace, dialogue, mutual respect and tolerance among its own citiz|ens,” the Head of State stressed in his message.
The “International Day of Living Together – 16 May of each year” was proclaimed on 8th December 2017 by the General Assembly of the United Nations, at the initiative of the International Sufi Association “Alawiyya”, with the strong backing of Algeria.
Secondly, this initiative went on to say the President of the Republic, “is shored up by moral, cultural, social and human values to which our moderate people is fundamentally attached, and expresses equally the strong commitment of our people so that these universal values take their rightful place in relations between nations and peoples throughout the world”.
Thirdly, he added, this proclamation reflects “the commitment of Algeria and the international community “to working harder to promote the culture of peace and dialogue both within societies and between nations, at a time when lines of rupture and factors of division are multiplying”.
Algeria, the head of state explains, has “constantly advocated the promotion of dialogue, understanding and cooperation between religions and cultures, drawing for this purpose its references from the teachings of our holy religion Islam”, a religion which “advocates peace and coexistence as shown by centuries of human history, across continents”.
–National unity, cohesion and sovereignty “the only worthwhile objectives”–
The only objective worthwhile through the policy of national reconciliation is ½ that of strengthening national unity, consolidating the cohesion of our people, protecting our national sovereignty and building, together in solidarity, a modern Algeria to which each of us is proud to belong,” says the President of the Republic.
It is in this spirit that “components of national identity such as Islam, Arabity and Amazighity” have been inscribed “with clarity and precision” in the Algerian constitution, and “the need to remove them from political and political exploitation the “promotion of economic, social and cultural policies driven by the need for inclusiveness and social justice, as well as territorial development strategies guided by an equitable distribution of opportunities, national wealth and prosperity thus generated”.
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika also emphasized that this is the path along which “the dynamic of promoting our young democracy contributes to anchoring in the minds and behavior of both men and institutions the intrinsic values of living together in peace, by strengthening the rule of law and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms”.
Just as “it is in this chapter that the important advances recorded by Algeria in terms of promotion of the rights and status of women in our society and the determining role both in the protection of social and national cohesion, and in the transmission of the founding values that have united the Algerian Nation for millennia,” he explained.
“It is in this regard, finally, that the profound reform of the national education system, whose role in training the citizen rooted in the millennial history of our country, rooted in the authentic values of his people, the citizen committed to work and sacrifice in order to preserve the independence of his country and build its prosperous future,” noted the President of the Republic.
The Algerian school, in this respect, is called, according to the orientations of the Head of State, “to spread more the values of living together in peace among millions of pupils.
–Algeria has always advocated diplomacy that promotes a culture of peace, solidarity and dialogue
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika also stated that “Algeria’s action towards its immediate neighborhood and all its partners has always been guided by the principles of peace, coexistence, cooperation and good neighborliness”.
This philosophy led Algeria, he explained, “among the very first countries” to back up the efforts made “so that the culture of peace, solidarity, tolerance and dialogue prevail among all peoples”.
“These lofty principles are expressed both in the settlement of political conflicts and in the establishment of more balanced economic relations worldwide,” the Head of State further underscored.