The Arab Foreign Ministers convened at Sakhir Palace to commence their preparation talks in advance of the May 16 Arab Summit, which will take place in the Kingdom of Bahrain, presided over by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
His Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, opened the meeting with a speech outlining his nation’s initiatives to promote coordinated Arab action and coordination during its presidency of the previous Arab League session.
According to the minister, Saudi Arabia worked to create a framework for effective collective action to address urgent regional and global issues, especially the Palestinian cause. He pointed out that this was consistent with its unwavering dedication to upholding Arab causes and fulfilling the hopes for peace, stability, and development held by Arab leaders and peoples.
Prince Faisal also emphasized that the kingdom has made every effort to mobilize international support to stop the brutal Israeli attacks and limit the crisis’s consequences and spread, working in tandem with Arab and ally nations since the beginning of the unprecedented attacks on the Palestinian people. He recalled the kingdom’s hosting of the Joint Arab Islamic Extraordinary Summit and its involvement in the ministerial follow-up committee that followed in order to present to major international organizations and capitals a unified front on support for the Palestinian people.
The extent of the humanitarian crisis has been made worse, the legitimacy of international institutions and rules has been undermined, and the complete incapacity of international institutions to uphold global peace and security has been exposed, according to Prince Faisal, by the Israeli occupation forces’ persistent aggression and violations of all international laws and norms in the absence of international accountability measures.
In addition, Prince Faisal emphasized Saudi Arabia’s insistence on the necessity of an immediate and permanent ceasefire, as well as the provision of sufficient and ongoing aid and the identification of a realistic and irreversible route to a two-state solution that would guarantee the Palestinian people’s inherent right to self-determination and enable them to establish an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital on the 1967 borders. This is consistent with the pertinent international legitimacy resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.
In order to enhance coordinated Arab action and its procedures to handle shared dangers and achieve security, stability, and prosperity in the area, the Saudi Foreign Minister emphasized the significance of cooperation. He wished the Kingdom of Bahrain luck as it presided over the 33rd Arab League session and congratulated it on winning the presidency.
The preliminary meeting was then presided over by Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani. Thanking His Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan for Saudi Arabia’s efforts and achievements during its presidency of the 32nd session, he greeted his Arab colleagues.
Dr. Al Zayani expressed gratitude to members of the General Secretariat and Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Abul El Gheit for their assistance in helping the kingdom get ready for the Bahrain Summit.
The foreign minister expressed gratitude to the Arab ministers for hosting him during his journey and for their assistance and backing of Bahrain’s initiatives.
The minister emphasized that in light of current regional and global conflicts, economic hardships, and terrible humanitarian situations, the 33rd Arab Summit is taking place at a crucial moment that calls for increased solidarity and collaboration in order to protect shared interests. It is his goal that the Bahrain Summit will usher in a new age of coordinated Arab action, one based on historical ties, solidarity, collaboration, respect, and collective security. He emphasized that Arab nations should see their strength in their ability to work together, take pride in their identity and values, and make the best use of their natural resources in order to meet the needs of their peoples and future generations for sustainable development and a life of freedom and dignity.
According to Dr. Al Zayani, the Kingdom of Bahrain, led by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, is steadfast in its adherence to respecting international law and putting the UN and Arab League charters into practice.
He continued by saying that in order to protect the security, stability, and economic and social advancement of the Arab world, the kingdom has also reaffirmed its support for preserving Arab coordination and collaboration. He restated Bahrain’s need for successful Arab action based on three key pillars in this context.
Adopting comprehensive and long-lasting peaceful means of settling disputes and putting an end to wars is the first pillar. This primarily relates to ending the suffering of the Palestinian people by creating a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, meeting their basic needs for humanitarian aid, granting them the right to build an independent state based on the two-state solution, and gaining full membership in the UN. This includes opposing military escalation in the area; all within the context of a shared strategic goal to create an equitable, all-encompassing, and long-lasting peace, stop conflicts from starting or growing, and settle conflicts and crises through communication and cooperation.
The minister stated that Bahrain has put out several proposals for the approval of Arab leaders, one of which is to host an international conference to resolve the Palestinian issue with support from the UN. He declared that it would be an honor for Bahrain to host the conference in support of Palestinian rights and to bring about just and sustainable peace in the area.
The second pillar, according to the minister, is about strengthening cooperation to create positive and harmonious Arab relations based on respect for one another, good neighborliness, and coordination in politics and security to thwart foreign meddling and organized crime, which includes combating terrorism, hate speech, and extremism. This pillar also seeks to advance peaceful coexistence, strengthen maritime security, establish a region free of WMDs, and foster partnerships between the Arab and international communities to accomplish water, food, and cyber security.
Completing economic integration requirements and cooperative Arab projects—particularly in the domains of infrastructure, digital transformation, environmental protection, trade and investment facilitation, humanitarian and development initiative coordination, expertise sharing in women’s empowerment, youth, and human rights, and the development of health and educational services in accordance with unified Arab plans and strategies supporting sustainable development—represents the third pillar.
The Saudi Foreign Minister was subsequently congratulated by the Secretary General of the Arab League for his nation’s efforts during its leadership of the 32nd session of the Council of the Arab League. He also expressed gratitude to him for leading the Arab-Islamic group that worked to put an end to the Gaza War.
The Secretary General commended Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Dr. Al Zayani for leading the present session at a crucial juncture for the Arab world. He wished Bahrain and the minister well in their terms.
According to him, the world understands that as long as there is no resolution to the Palestinian issue, regional stability is brittle and prone to blowing up. The only way to bring about the long-awaited peace in the area, he continued, was to put an end to the occupation and create an independent state for the Palestinian people.
According to Abul El Gheit, Arab efforts were concentrated on putting an immediate stop to the situation, providing relief to the Gaza population, and opposing any attempts to force them to leave. This was done in addition to putting the two-state solution into action and laying the groundwork for the permanent establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital on the 1967 lines.
The address also discussed the current events and difficulties in Syria, Yemen, Libya, and Sudan.
During the summit, political concerns and difficulties facing the Arab countries were highlighted.
The Palestinian cause, the Gaza War, regional wars, regional interventions in Arab affairs, and the political and security landscapes of Arab nations were all featured in this.
The ministers also spoke about draft resolutions that would be presented to Arab leaders for approval, and which would strengthen coordinated Arab action in the political, economic, and social spheres.
