JEDDAH: Assigned by His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, HH Sayyid Asaad bin Tarik al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for International Relations and Cooperation Affairs, Personal Representative of His Majesty the Sultan, participated in the Jeddah Summit for Security and Development which was held on Saturday in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in the presence of leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, US President Joe Biden, King Abdallah II of Jordan, President Abdel Fattah el Sisi of Egypt, and Mustafa al Kazemi, Prime Minister of Iraq.
The summit — which brings together members of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the United States, Egypt and Iraq, as well as Jordan — discussed the latest regional and international developments, as well as means to expand cooperation among the participating countries, particularly in economic fields, as well as food security, energy and water.
Prior to the meeting, Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, received HH Sayyid Asaad, and heads of the participating delegations at the summit.
In his speech, Prince Salman stressed that the global economy is linked to stability of energy prices, calling for investment in clean energy. He added: The situation in Syria and Libya requires political solutions to stabilise the region, noting that Iraq is witnessing an improvement in security.
President Joe Biden said that the United States supports partnerships with countries which adopt an international system based on laws and are committed to providing assistance to countries experiencing food security crises, and that America's interests are linked to successes in the Middle East.
During his speech at the opening of the summit, Biden praised the role of the Sultanate of Oman and Saudi Arabia in finding a political solution in Yemen.
Jordanian King Abdallah II stressed that the stability of the region requires a solution to Palestinian issue, noting at the same time that Jordan hosts more than one million Syrian refugees.
In his speech, Egyptian President Sisi said that the Jeddah summit bears a clear indication of the renewal of the determination to work jointly between the Arab countries and the United States, calling for concerted efforts to put an end to conflicts and wars in the region and effective cooperation between countries to stabilise markets.
The Egyptian president stressed the necessity of establishing an independent Palestinian state as per the 1967 borders and reaching a final and irreversible solution.
For his part, Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa al Khalifa called for a permanent and just solution to the Palestinian issue in accordance with the Arab initiative, pointing out that the Arab region has suffered for many years from very serious challenges and effective cooperation must be taken to confront them.
Shaikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar, pointed out that crises and conflicts in any region affect the entire world, and that the United Nations Charter provides opportunities for resolving them, indicating that Gulf and Arab relations with the United States have an active role in the Middle East and the world.
At the conclusion of his speech, the Emir of Qatar affirmed the right of the countries in the region to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes in accordance with international rules.
Mustafa al Kazemi, Prime Minister of Iraq, called for the development of a comprehensive strategy to combat terrorism and dry up its sources of funding, stressing that his country supports international and regional efforts to end the crisis in Syria and Lebanon.
And Shaikh Mishaal al Ahmad al Jaber al Sabah, Crown Prince of Kuwait, indicated in his speech that the Gulf-US relations have witnessed great achievements and that the challenges the region is going through require more consultation and cooperation to confront them, calling for unity and renunciation of differences and overcoming the dangers surrounding the region.
It is noteworthy that the joint summit aims to confirm the historical partnership between these countries, the importance of close cooperation and common visions regarding a number of issues and situations in the region, deepening joint cooperation in various fields and the importance of developing ways of cooperation and integration among them.
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