Saudi Foreign Minister Confirms Ukrainian President’s Attendance at Arab Summit & Addresses Regional Issues

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan confirmed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s attendance at the Arab summit – which was held today, Friday, in Jeddah – was at the invitation of Riyadh, and that the invitation came out of listening to all parties.

This came during a joint press conference with the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, following the conclusion of the Arab Summit.

Al-Farhan stressed the Arab countries’ keenness on “positive neutrality” towards the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, adding that there is no solution to this crisis except through dialogue.

The Saudi Foreign Minister also welcomed the messages of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Arab Summit.

Al-Farhan stressed that the “Jeddah Declaration” emanating from the summit included initiatives to strengthen Arab action and emphasize the centrality of the Palestinian cause.

With regard to the Sudanese crisis, Al-Farhan called on all parties to show responsibility and resort to dialogue, noting that the talks of the Sudanese parties in Jeddah are trying to ensure the cessation of hostilities in a manner that preserves the security and safety of civilians in Sudan.

The Saudi foreign minister added that the Sudanese talks are still under way in Jeddah, and that it is too early to talk about reaching a solution.

Syria back

With regard to Syria, Al-Farhan stressed that Damascus’ return to the Arab League came for the benefit of the Syrians, expressing his hope that this would contribute to ending the crisis in the country.

He stressed that Riyadh will dialogue with its Western partners regarding relations with Syria, and that it is working to return the Syrian refugees to their homeland, indicating that the extremist positions do not serve the interest of the Syrian people.

For his part, the Secretary of the Arab League considered that the return of Syria is an internal Arab matter, and said that work must be done in isolation from the vision of external powers in this regard.

Aboul Gheit said that the Jeddah summit achieved its desired goal, pointing out that Syria needs Arab help and should interact with its return to the League.

The Secretary General of the Arab League also appreciated Saudi Arabia’s efforts to reach the hoped-for settlement in Sudan.