LONDON: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan on Friday said the region’s security is top of the agenda for Washington and European countries.
“We have heard very clear statements from the Biden administration that they are going to address the challenges within our region with very open eyes and a clear focus on making sure that we continue to have stability and security,” he said during a virtual session of the World Economic Forum titled Resetting Geopolitics.
He added that Saudi Arabia will discuss with Washington Iran’s destabilizing activities in the region and the escalation of its nuclear program, and expressed confidence that by working with the US and Europe the challenges can be overcome.
“We see these challenges as posing a risk not just to the region but to the global community,” the prince said, adding that the Kingdom hopes to move from “challenges of a military nature to focusing on how we can be part of delivering global prosperity and innovation.”
The Kingdom is aware that international cooperation does not occur independently from regional cooperation, said Prince Faisal, which is why the recent signing of the AlUla agreement was so important because it united the Gulf countries in the face of the challenges they face in pursuit of security and stability.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt, signed the AlUla agreement during the 41st Gulf Cooperation Council Summit on Jan. 5. It officially restored full diplomatic relations between the nations and Qatar, ending a three-year dispute. The prince said that efforts to overcome the challenges the world is facing require unity and cooperation.
He also discussed the Kingdom’s presidency of the G20 last year, and its efforts in that role to coordinate the global response to the coronavirus pandemic, again stressing the importance of international cooperation.
Prince Faisal added that it is important for nations to work together to tackle other global challenges, including climate change, and said the Kingdom will continue to work with international partners to achieve regional and global cooperation, to face challenges that require leadership and responsibility, and to achieve security, stability and prosperity for all peoples around the world.
