Kuwait - His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday said the Islamic world has the assets, combined resources and geo-economic position that make it “the key to every major economic issue of our time - from creating a green global economy, to energy sustainability”.

King Abdullah made his remarks in a speech he delivered at the opening ceremony of the 4th World Islamic Economic Forum in Kuwait.

Also on Tuesday, King Abdullah met with Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah on the sidelines of the forum and discussed bilateral ties, developments at the regional and Arab levels and efforts to push the peace process forward.

His Majesty also met with Afghan President Hamed Karzai, head of Bosnian Presidential Council, Haris Silajdzic, and the representative of the Indonesian president, Irman Gusman.

In his speech at the forum, King Abdullah said: “By working together, member states boost prosperity within their group, and compete more effectively worldwide.”

King Abdullah, who returned home late Tuesday, urged the world leaders taking part in the event, along with the officials, world economic experts and more than 400 businesspeople, to create the economic community needed to sustain “our people” against global financial and energy shocks and other challenges, and to determine whether Muslims, not only in Islamic countries, but everywhere in the world, will have access to the economic promise of the 21st century.