Lama Alhamawi

RIYADH: At the conclusion of the 32nd Arab League Summit on Friday, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan took to the podium, accompanied by the league’s secretary-general, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, to highlight some of the main takeaways from the event and new initiatives that were agreed.

One of the major conclusions of the gathering in Jeddah was the need for an emphasis on promoting joint Arab Action in support of security, stability and sovereignty in Arab countries.

Once aspect of that joint action included the readmission of Syria to the Arab League and the presence of President Bashar Assad at the summit.

The summit included a number of other milestones and historic moments, including the first participation and visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. During his address, he called for more support for his people and highlighted efforts to enhance relations between Ukraine and the Arab world.

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman greeted the leaders and heads of state upon their arrival at the summit and chaired the 32nd Regular Session of the Arab League Council.

During his opening remarks, he welcomed Assad back to the summit following Syria’s 12-year suspension from the organization.

“We hope that Syria’s return to the Arab League will mark an end to its crisis,” the crown prince said.

“We assure the neighboring countries and friends in the West and the East that we are moving forward for peace, goodness, cooperation and construction in a way that achieves our peoples’ interests and safeguards our nation’s rights.”

He expressed pleasure that Assad was attending the summit and that the Arab League had decided to redmit Syria to the organization.

“We hope that this will support the stability of Syria, the return of things to normal, and the resumption of its usual role in the Arab nation, in a way that achieves good for its people and supports all of our aspirations toward a better future for our region,” the crown prince said.

“We will not allow our region to turn into fields of conflict. It is enough for us to turn the page of the past by remembering the painful years of conflicts the region lived through, as they caused suffering for its people and faltered the development process.”

While the Arab League has readmitted Syria, the Biden administration in Washington and its European allies continues to maintain a policy of isolation targeting Assad and his regime.

After the summit Prince Faisal said that “dialogue with ⁦Syria⁩ was necessary, and we understand the point of view of our Western allies and we will hold talks with our partners⁦.”

He also said ⁩talks to resolve the ongoing crises in Sudan had been one of the key topics of the summit but it was too early to talk about a breakthrough.

“The situation in ⁦Sudan⁩ is unfortunate and it is important to reach a truce now; the Kingdom is working with the ⁦United States⁩ to reach a humanitarian truce,” Prince Faisal said.

During his opening speech, Crown Prince Mohammed expressed hope that the dialogue would be the basis for preserving the unity of Sudan and the security of its people.

One of the main topics of discussion at the summit, and one of the Kingdom’s top foreign policy priorities, was the Palestinian cause and its importance as the central issue for Arabs and Muslims.

The conflict in Yemen was another important topic and the crown prince said: “We are also working to help the Yemeni parties reach a comprehensive political solution that ends the Yemeni crisis.”

Five new Arab initiatives emerged from the summit. They included plans to teach Arabic to non-native speakers, targeting second- and third-generations Arab immigrants to help enhance communication between countries.

The second initiative is a cultural and green future initiative that aims to develop cultural policies related to sustainability, and support for environmentally friendly cultural practices that benefit the creative economy in Arab countries.

A third initiative focuses on food security, with an emphasis on sustainable supply chains for basic food commodities in Arab countries. It aims to provide economically feasible investment opportunities that can help improve food security.

A new research initiative will focus on the desalination of water, with the aim of sharing know-how and expertise that can reduce the cost and increase the efficiency of desalination processes.

The final new initiative is the establishment of a think tank for research into sustainability and economic development. It aims to promote new ideas for sustainable development and highlight the importance of joint and multilateral research cooperation and strategic partnerships.