His Majesty King Abdullah cited Thursday in the keynote speech at the Rome-hosted Mediterranean Dialogue conference (MED) 2015 centuries of interaction between the peoples of the Middle East, Europe and North Africa, which have “engaged with each other through trade, cooperation and learning”.

“We communicate through the arts and culture of a common past, through ancient heritage sites and vibrant modern cities on both sides of the Mediterranean,” King Abdullah added.

Representatives from 40 countries attended the gathering, as well as Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah II.

The King said: “We speak many languages, but shared values give us a common voice: for tolerance, for peace and for mutual respect.”

His Majesty also stated: “The fact is, we will rise or fall together. Our regions are connected in virtually every way. When individual economies or political systems fail, when refugees flee, when violent groups find havens, when climate change dries wells and farmland, when millions of young people cannot find jobs, the impact cannot simply be contained and ignored. What once seemed national challenges are today global challenges.”