The Jeddah Security and Development Summit kicked off today, Saturday, in Saudi Arabia with the participation of the Gulf states, Egypt, Jordan and Iraq, in addition to the United States.
At the opening of the Jeddah Summit, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said, “The Jeddah Summit is being held at a time when the world is facing great challenges. We hope that the Jeddah summit will respond to global challenges.”
Mohammed bin Salman added: “The global challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic require additional international efforts to restore the global economy… We hope that our summit will usher in a new era of joint cooperation to deepen the strategic partnership.”
And he added: “We call on Iran to cooperate with the countries of the region to be part of this vision, to abide by international legal principles and to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency.”
Bin Salman indicated that Saudi Arabia “supports all efforts to reach a Yemeni-Yemeni political solution in line with the three links.”
He stressed that “the prosperity and prosperity of the region requires the acceleration of the search for a comprehensive and just solution to the Palestinian question.”
And the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia continued: “The Kingdom has announced an increase in production capacity to 13 million barrels per day, after which the Kingdom will have no additional capacity to increase.”
He added: “We are pleased with the recent improvement in Iraq’s security and stability, as well as its positive engagement with its Arab and regional environment.”
He added: “We want to present to the world our message and noble values that we are proud of and will not give up on them, and we hope that the world respects them as we respect other values.”
For his part, US President Joe Biden at the start of this summit reaffirmed the support of US partners and allied countries in addressing the challenges facing the region.
Biden believed that “Iran’s activities are destabilizing the Middle East, and we have the determination to counter terrorist threats in the region, and we will support our allies in the region in the fight against terrorism.”
Biden explained: “We will work in the Middle East region and establish sustainable economic relations, and the United States will remain an active partner in the Middle East, and American interests are connected with success in the Middle East,” continuing: “We will not allow Iran to sow tension in the region, and we also reject the use of force for change. We will not allow maritime freedom in the region to be jeopardized, and my administration prioritizes maritime freedom in the Red Sea. ”
Biden continued: “We will invest billions of dollars in clean energy and infrastructure. We hope to successfully connect Iraq’s power grid to the Gulf Arab states,” adding, “We will work to reduce tensions in the region and also work with Saudi Arabia and Oman to find a political solution in Yemen.”
He added: “We will strengthen air defense and early warning to counter air threats, and we will never allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon. We will not leave a vacuum in the region in favor of Russia, China and Iran.”
For his part, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said during the opening of the Jeddah summit: “The time has come to unite our efforts to end all chronic conflicts and protracted civil wars”, stressing that “it is no longer acceptable to be among the sons of our Arab nation as a refugee or a refugee affected by the ravages of war.
He explained that “the Jeddah summit is taking place at an exceptional moment,” noting that “it clearly signals our renewed determination to develop partnerships between our countries and the United States, whether on a bilateral or regional level.”
Al-Sisi stressed that “it is necessary to intensify joint efforts for the irreversible revival of the peace process, work to build societies from within based on citizenship and democracy, preserve the ability of peoples and prevent them from being plundered and supported by the main pillars of states.”
He pointed out that “women and youth must be empowered and the role of religious institutions and leaders must be supported to uphold the values of tolerance and dedication to the process of economic and social reform in response to peoples’ aspirations for a better future”, adding that “regional and global crises continue and intensify their severity, casting a shadow on humanity, including our Arab region”, including the dangers of the spread of terrorism, which threatens the rights of future generations.
At the beginning of this summit, King Abdullah of Jordan said: “We are meeting today and our region and the world are facing multiple challenges related to the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the impact of the Ukrainian crisis on energy and food, in addition to the ongoing conflicts that the region is suffering from. Therefore, we must look for opportunities to cooperate and work together towards regional integration in the areas of food security, energy, transport and water.
King Abdullah added: “We in Jordan are committed to turning these opportunities into real partnerships in the region, building on our historic and enduring relationships with the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council and our brothers in Egypt and Iraq to serve the interests of our peoples.”
He continued: “We continue these efforts, believing that the only way to make progress is to work in partnership as we in Jordan continue to host over a million Syrian refugees, providing them with various humanitarian, medical and educational services and facing new security risks. on our borders. In the fight against the smuggling of drugs and weapons, which has become a serious threat to the entire region … and this is the responsibility that we bear on behalf of the international community, which must continue its role in addressing the impact of the refugee crisis on refugees and host communities.
He explained: “To ensure the success of the regional partnership we seek, economic cooperation must include our brothers in the Palestinian National Authority, and here we must re-emphasize the importance of achieving a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian question, based on a two-state solution. A region without a solution guaranteeing the creation of an independent Palestinian state modeled on June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, to live in peace and security together with Israel.
During the opening of the summit, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain said, “This summit is a good opportunity to strengthen the historical friendship and strengthen the strategic partnership between our countries and the United States,” noting that “maintaining regional security requires joint action for prosperity.”
King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa stressed that “the solution to the Palestinian question must be found through a just and lasting settlement and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.”
For his part, the Emir of Qatar, Tamm bin Hamad, said at the beginning of the summit: “Today’s meeting comes against the backdrop of challenges for the international community to strengthen cooperation to find solutions to global problems… no security, no stability and no development in the light of conflicts.
And he added: “The reference of the parties to the conflict to international law and the UN Charter saves peoples from many victims and tragedies.”
Prince Tamim added: “Crisis and wars in any region affect the whole world. The war in Ukraine has exacerbated the economic crisis, which could lead to humanitarian catastrophes.”
He continued, “We emphasize the importance of the relationship of the Gulf and the Arab countries in general with the United States and the need to maintain and deepen them,” noting that “the achievement of stability in the Gulf region is necessary not only for him, but for the entire international community. .”
The Emir of Qatar added: “We reaffirm our firm position to rid the Gulf region and the Middle East as a whole of the dangers of nuclear weapons. We reaffirm the right of the countries of the region to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes in accordance with international rules.”
Referring to the Palestinian question, he said: “The dangers facing the region in the light of the tense international situation require the search for a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian question. One of the most important sources of tension and instability will remain if Israel does not stop. its violations of international law. Tensions will continue if Israel does not stop violating international law.” Building settlements, changing the character of Jerusalem, and continuing the siege of Gaza.
He stressed that “The State of Qatar will spare no effort to work with its partners to ensure a continuous flow of energy supplies.”
In his speech at the Jeddah summit, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kazemi said: “We are committed to strengthening economic cooperation and security coordination among the countries of the region”, stressing that “challenges in the region require cooperation between countries.”
He added: “Iraq plays a key role in defeating the terrorist Daesh,” stressing that “Iraq seeks to strengthen the language of dialogue in the region.”
At the beginning of this summit, the Crown Prince of Kuwait, Sheikh Mishaal al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, said: “We emphasize the importance of strengthening the partnership between the Gulf and the United States.”
He continued: We look forward to developing cooperation between the US and the Gulf countries at all levels.
And the Crown Prince of Kuwait continued: “We reaffirm the full support of the Yemeni leadership council.”
To follow..