RIYADH: Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan chaired the second ministerial meeting of members of the League of Arab States and Pacific Small Island Developing States in Riyadh on Monday, 13 years after the first meeting took place in June 2010 in the UAE.
During his opening remarks, the prince welcomed the delegation and said the Kingdom is eager to expand its collaboration with Pacific Island countries, and to address global challenges such as food security, climate change and sustainable development.
The ministerial meeting offers the ideal forum in which to discuss economic and political cooperation between the Arab World and Pacific Island states, share insights and discuss issues of common interest, he added.
Prince Faisal also highlighted the goals of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the Kingdom's efforts to help achieve them, including the launch in 2021 of the Saudi Green and Middle East Green initiatives, which are part of Saudi Arabia’s environmental mission under the country’s Vision 2030 development and diversification plan.
He said the Kingdom is keen to ensure the private sector plays a part in the wider process by searching for investment opportunities that benefit countries and their peoples.
The Kingdom’s delegation at the meeting also included Waleed Al-Khuraiji, the deputy foreign minister; Abdulrahman Al-Rassi, the deputy minister for international multilateral affairs; and Abdulrahman Al-Dawood, director-general of the foreign minister’s office.
Prince Faisal held a number of meetings on the sidelines of the main event, including one with Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the foreign minister of Kuwait. They reviewed the relationship between their countries and ways in which they might work together to enhance and develop it in various fields, officials said.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan meets with Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Faisal Mekdad in Riyadh. (SPA)
During a meeting with Faisal Mekdad, Syria’s foreign minister, the prince discussed the latest developments in the country and the wider region, and exchanged views on other issues of common interest. The Saudi foreign minister also held talks with his Palestinian counterpart, Riyad Al-Maliki; Abdullatif Alzayani, Bahrain’s foreign minister; and Taneti Maamau, the president and foreign minister of the island nation of Kiribati.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan meets with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki in Riyadh. (SPA)
The night before the ministerial meeting, Al-Khuraiji hosted a banquet dinner in honor of the heads of the visiting delegations from the Pacific Island states.
