Saudi Arabia has affirmed that Arab countries are facing several challenges that cast a shadow on the security and stability of those nations and the region. Those challenges include foreign interference, weak state institutions, and the spread of non-state armed groups and terrorist militias.
“This necessitates concerted efforts to spare our countries the dangers and turmoil that these challenges may entail,” said Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan in his speech before the Arab League summit in Algeria.
The minister pointed out that successive global crises have resulted in common challenges that impacted the security and stability of the Arab region. These challenges have slowed down the pace of economic recovery in the Arab region.
Prince Faisal also warned that recent geopolitical conflict threatens to “undermine the international community’s ability to effectively tackle common challenges.”
He stressed the importance of continuous coordination among our Arab countries “to enhance our national and regional security and renew our total rejection to the approach of expansion and domination at the expense of others,” he noted.
“We will not allow others to impose their values on us, and since we respect the values and cultures of others, we hope others will respect that.”
Prince Faisal added that “we find pride in our values derived from our Islamic Sharia and from our authentic Arab culture which we will never relinquish nor will we allow others to impose their values on us. We hope that others too respect that just like we respect the values of others.”
Deputizing for King Salman, Prince Faisal said that the Palestinian cause will always remain at the center of the Arab nation’s concerns, until the establishment of an independent and sovereign state along the June 1967 border, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
“The Kingdom welcomes the results of the meetings hosted by Algeria as part of the reconciliation efforts between the Palestinian factions and hopes that these efforts will lead to the unity of the Palestinian ranks,” said Prince Faisal.
Prince Faisal said that the Kingdom continues to support efforts to achieve peace in Yemen, and that it has made every effort to support the UN envoy's proposal to extend the armistice there.
While highlighting the rejection of the Houthis to the proposal, he emphasized the importance of the international community maintaining political pressure on them.
He went on to say that achieving long-term peace in Yemen should be based on the Gulf initiative and its implementation mechanism, as well as the outcomes of the comprehensive Yemeni national dialogue and relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
He also stressed the importance of providing necessary support to Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, noting Saudi Arabia’s humanitarian, relief, and development assistance to Yemen.
