Munich/Information Office/ 14 February 2016/ HE the Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said that understanding the new geopolitics of the Middle East requires raising a question as to how the Middle East and North Africa region changed from an era of possible political reform to an era of conflicts and disputes. In a speech at a session of the 52nd Munich Security Conference under the title of "Growing Rifts, Power Shifts? The New Geopolitics of the Middle East", HE the Foreign Minister said considering the issue from population perspective more than 6 percent of the world's population is living in the Middle East. This figure includes Muslims and Christians, Arabs and Kurds, adding that 57.6 million people are in need of humanitarian aid, including 17.7 million people are either internally displaced or refugees fleeing conflict and persecution. HE Foreign Minister reiterated the importance of discussing the balance of power at a time of mounting tensions between regional actors, stressing that the most urgent matter to discuss is the fate of millions of families and communities living under oppression in the Middle East. HE Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani added that region is already reeling from the overwhelming impact of key factors for instability, namely the continuing escalation, the siege against the Palestinian people, the absence of a just solution and the loss of hope for any corrective step by the international community to end one of the last remaining occupations in the world which is in itself a factor of instability in the Middle East. His Excellency added that tyranny is the driving force behind the political and social marginalization as well as violent persecution and most importantly is the increasing rate of cross-border terrorism. He explained that the region is undergoing massive violations of human rights, chaos, and instability, which, in turn, created a favorable environment for all kinds of destructive interests, ranging from terrorist organizations that have found fertile ground among the frustrated and disadvantaged groups. In Syria, the regime's unprecedented brutality and the failure of the international community to protect civilians from massive bombardment led to two issues the first of which is the militarization of the civil revolution, and the second is mounting influence of foreign groups that took advantage of the power vacuum and controlled lands in both Syria and Iraq, he said. HE Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani added "the historic coexistence of different religions and ethnic groups enrich our culture and society, but the politicization of sectarian differences is a recent phenomenon that has unfortunately been used and reproduced by regional and international powers and encouraged by the existing competition between countries'. "Our firm belief is that in order to address the repercussions of the geopolitical changes in the Middle East, we must pursue a dual approach towards collective international efforts, and address the root causes of conflicts, particularly repressive regimes in the context of the fight against violent extremism and terrorism." He stressed the need to find a common vision towards inclusive future for all in the Middle East based on respect for human rights and the rejection of terrorism and tyranny. "This is our only hope to protect the fate of the peoples of the region." Check out this video on YouTube: youtu.be/SFspRZnfAA0