Critical economic and social challenges facing the Middle East took center stage during the preparatory meeting for the 33rd Arab Summit held in Bahrain’s capital, Manama.
The session, which took place on May 12, tackled issues that will be submitted to the upcoming summit, which is scheduled to take place for the first time in Bahrain on May 16.
Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan headed the Kingdom’s delegation to the ministerial meeting, which included representatives of member states of the League of Arab States and a number of specialists from its general secretariat.
Al-Jadaan affirmed Saudi Arabia’s pride in hosting the 32nd Regular Session of the Arab Summit, which concluded with the issuance of the Jeddah Declaration, which encompasses numerous initiatives aimed at enhancing collective efforts across economic, agricultural, cultural, and educational domains.
He added that the previous summit issued numerous important decisions in support of joint action, the most important of which is accomplishing the requirements of the Greater Arab Free Trade Area, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
Speaking during the senior officials meeting, held a day before the prep gathering, the Assistant Deputy Minister for International Cooperation at the Saudi Ministry of Finance, Naif Al-Enzi, said that the countries attending the summit continuously strive, at both international and regional forums, to raise issues that serve the interests of joint action.
Al-Enzi expressed his optimism for the session’s success under Bahrain’s presidency, aiming for consensus on outcomes that propel Arab economic and social integration while enhancing ongoing collective efforts and cooperation.
Announced on May 19, 2023, at the conclusion of the 32nd Arab Summit, the Jeddah Declaration emphasized the importance of strengthening joint action based on common foundations, values, interests and one destiny.
The 2023 summit was only the second, following a gathering in Algeria in November 2022, after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It covered several topics, including tensions between Israel and Palestine, the conflict in Sudan, the peace process in Yemen, instability in Libya, and Lebanon’s political situation.
Significantly, it was the first time Syria had been invited to participate in an Arab League Summit since its suspension from the organization in 2011.
The gathering’s final communique reaffirmed “the centrality of the Palestinian cause” to Arab countries and that it is one of the main factors for stability in the region. It condemned all practices and violations inflicted upon the Palestinians, their lives, properties and existence.
The communique also stressed the importance of intensifying efforts to achieve a comprehensive and just settlement of the Palestinian issue based on a two-state solution, as per UN Security Council Resolution 242 and the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, to ensure the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Furthermore, it reiterated previous summit positions, including the need for the protection of Muslim sites in Jerusalem.