‘Arabs unified to solve crises’: Adel Al-Jubeir

JEDDAH: Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir attended the meeting of the 45th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states held in Dhaka on Saturday.
The meeting was held under the title “Islamic Values for Sustainable Peace, Solidarity and Development,” in the presence of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikha Hasina Wajid.
Al-Jubeir delivered the address of the Arab Group, on behalf of the League of Arab States and the presidency of the 29th Arab Summit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and congratulated Bangladesh on its presidency of the session, expressing thanks to the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, the Secretary-General of the OIC and the Secretariat for their efforts during the previous session.
In his speech, he stressed the Palestinian right to establish an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital and the importance of a comprehensive and lasting peace as a strategic option embodied in the Arab Peace Initiative, adopted by the Arab Summit held, in Beirut, in 2002 and the Extraordinary Islamic Summit held, in Makkah, in 2005. He said that King Salman has labelled the 29th Arab Summit held in Dhahran as Al-Quds Summit (Jerusalem summit) to underscore that Palestine and its people are Arab and Muslim.
“We underscore the importance of supporting the Muslim minorities in the world, especially the Rohingya minority in Myanmar, and I take this opportunity to pay tribute to the great support and sacrifices that brotherly Bangladesh offers to host Rohingya refugees, on its territory,” he said.
“We hope to confront extremism and terrorism, recalling the successes achieved by the OIC member states, in the face of the unprecedented proliferation of extremist and terrorist groups,” he said. He expressed hope that the session would conclude with appropriate recommendations to get rid of such a serious scourge, and draw attention to the fact that during the recent Arab summit the Arab countries strongly condemned Iran’s interference in the internal affairs of Arab countries, the fueling of sectional and sectarian conflicts, and its support for terrorist groups such as Al-Houthi and Hezbollah.
The Al-Quds Summit in Dhahran also reiterated the demand for Iran to withdraw its militias from Arab countries and to stop supplying the Houthi militias with Iranian-made ballistic missiles and weapons, which were directed at Saudi cities, including the Muslims’ holiest shrine, in Makkah.
Regarding the Syrian crisis, the minister stressed the need to find a political solution to end the crisis to achieve the aspirations of the Syrian people and end their sufferings and preserve the unity of Syria, protect its sovereignty and independence and end the presence of all external forces and sectarian terrorist groups, based on the Security Council resolution no. 2254 and Geneva 1 Conference Declaration.
He concluded by stressing the commitment of the Arab countries to work within the framework of the OIC to achieve the aspirations of the Muslim people to live in dignity and security.
Bangladesh President Mohammed Abdul Hamid later received Al-Jubeir. During the reception, the minister conveyed the greetings of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the president. In return, the president asked the foreign minister to convey his greetings to the king, crown prince, the government and people of Saudi Arabia.
They reviewed bilateral relations and ways of enhancing cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh, in addition to reviewing regional and international developments and issues of common interest.
Al-Jubeir also met with ministers of foreign affairs of the Maldives, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Canada. During the meetings, they discussed issues of common interest, means of enhancing cooperation and bilateral relations between the Kingdom and these countries.