Prince Saud slams superpowers’ meddling in Mideast

Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal on Tuesday extended an invitation to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to visit Saudi Arabia, stressing the Kingdom’s readiness for negotiations with Tehran.
Prince Saud said that ongoing political crises in the Middle East have given major superpowers the opportunity to meddle in the internal affairs of other countries, which increases the phenomenon of terrorism.
He said this while addressing the first two-day Arab Economic and Cooperation Forum with Central Asia and Azerbaijan, which kicked off in Riyadh on May 12.
“Developed countries, which are looked up to for their ability to bring about political and social change and their respect for human values, are now using this as a pretext to interfere in foreign crises,” he said. “Such interference, however, only serves to exacerbate social disintegration and foster terrorism.”
Foreign ministers of Central Asian countries and Azerbaijan are participating in the conference along with Arab foreign ministers and Nabil Elaraby, secretary-general of the Arab League.
“We hope the outcome of the conference will meet the hopes and aspirations of our nations and help build bridges for communication and economic and cultural cooperation,” he said.
“The state of international relations in the modern day era indicates a shift in international politics. Bilateral ties used to be governed within a framework set by international organizations and rules.”
He added: “Attempts to address international crises were made through seeking common ground. We were not used to hearing superpowers saying that their foreign policies are based solely on national interests. Rather, bilateral ties were based on mutual interest that would serve both developed countries and developing states.”
He pointed out: “The situation has since changed. Superpowers are no longer concerned about the sovereignty and independence of less powerful states to ensure their own security. The new approach confirms that the international arena seeks to alter the status quo of countries from the inside.”
He explained: “It goes without saying that issues of concern to us can only be resolved through ensuring solidarity, self sufficiency and autonomy.
However, we have agreed to focus on economic issues at this meeting.”
He said: “The meeting comes at a particularly crucial time, where we are witnessing significant developments in bilateral ties between Arab states and other countries around the globe. Special emphasis has been placed on bilateral relations in order to take full advantage of joint economic initiatives, whether in manpower, mineral wealth or the geo-strategic importance of countries in Central Asia and Azerbaijan.”
He added: “This will undoubtedly provide promising investment opportunities, including gaining access to integrated projects and laying solid foundations for fruitful mutual cooperation.”
The foreign minister also reiterated that the Saudi government is pressing ahead to sign agreements to protect and promote investments.
“Two agreements were recently signed in Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan,” he said, adding:“Discussions are under way concerning four other agreements, including an agreement to avoid double taxation and agreements with Tajikistan, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan in the civil aviation domain.”