Addressing the gathering on behalf of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud welcomed the participants in their country the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, thanking them for their efforts in the service of the Islamic Ummah and the work for its renaissance and development. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is keen to make the solidarity among Islamic countries a reality as this is Saudi Arabia's stable and firm policy which is derived from the bases on which the Kingdom was established as per the holy Quran and the sayings of Prophet Mohammed (pbuh), Crown Prince Salman said. He added that Saudi Arabia has paid special attention to Islamic solidarity in the past and the present through creating the required frameworks that bind it with the Islamic countries and peoples, citing the establishment of the Islamic Development Bank as an idea from late King Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud who presented the initiative to be adopted by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. He also reminded that in Ramadan1433 H. the 4th extraordinary Islamic summit which was held under the theme "Islamic Solidarity" in the vicinity of the holy grand mosque in Makkah has issued a resolution enhancing the bank's capital upon an initiative of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, a move seen as continuation to Saudi Arabia's firm policy and principle promoting Islamic solidarity. Crown Prince Salman added that the vision of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is based on collective responsibility of all Islamic countries and community to achieve solidarity, noting that such responsibility should not be left to governments alone as the organizations and institutions like the IDB group are also to play pivotal roles since the matter requires coordination of efforts when it comes to implementation and since the objective of Islamic solidarity is to collect the capabilities of the nation for its best benefit, distance it from the evils, and upgrade it to the effective participation level in the service of humanitarian issues, a move, if taken, could guarantee the overcoming of obstacles in the help of God Almighty. Crown Prince Salman drew the attention to the great challenges facing the Islamic world which require continuous and relentless work. He cited the economic challenges which, he said, are represented in the achievement of a human resources development, sustainable economic growth, enhancement of peace and stability in and outside the Islamic world, and strengthening the awareness of a common identity and fate. Such challenges require ambitious reforms programs, treatment of economic weakness, adaptation with the changing international economic environment, enhancing the efforts to eliminate the derailing factors of development, and spreading the principles of moderation, he added. Crown Prince Salman went on to say that, we, in Saudi Arabia, keep special appreciation of the role being played by the IDB to provide assistance to the member states to face these challenges. He said the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is proud to host this great edifice and confirms its firm belief of its mission and function. "We congratulate IDB on its 40th anniversary of establishment. On this occasion, we also pay tribute to the revision it was conducting to the march of the last four decades in view of the noble goals of the organization", he told his listeners. Saudi Arabia also extends thanks to whoever contributed to this effort, and in particular, His Excellency Dr. Ahmed Mohammed Ali, the administrator of the bank group for his great efforts to further develop the group, Crown Prince Salman said, citing the achievements of the group as a source of Saudi Arabia's appreciation and pride and an incentive for it to continue work, development and support for this group for more growth and success. He also extended thanks to the IDB group and the member states for their efforts in the service of their religion and nation, appealing to Allah Almighty to provide help to all and wishing this meeting every success. --More 00:14 LOCAL TIME 21:14 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w