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Saudi FM Asserts Necessity of Adhering to UN Charter, Principles of Int’l Legitimacy

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan delivering his speech (Reuters)
Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan delivering his speech (Reuters)
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Saudi FM Asserts Necessity of Adhering to UN Charter, Principles of Int’l Legitimacy

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan delivering his speech (Reuters)
Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan delivering his speech (Reuters)

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal Bin Farhan asserted the necessity of states adhering to the UN Charter and the principles of international legitimacy, stressing that Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 aims to enhance construction and development efforts to meet future generations' aspirations.

Speaking at the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, bin Farhan delivered a speech on behalf of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz.

He expressed the Kingdom's aspirations for a better future for humanity, founded on mutual respect for the sovereignty and independence of states, their values, non-interference in their internal affairs, peaceful dispute resolution, and refraining from the use or threat of force.

Bin Farhan also highlighted how through its developmental approach, the Kingdom aims to create a comprehensive and sustainable renaissance, with its central focus and goal being the human being who will drive present development and shape the future through knowledge.

"The Kingdom places great importance on human rights, as its laws include explicit provisions aimed at promoting and protecting rights," Saudi Press Agency quoted the top diplomat as saying.

Moreover, he expressed the Kingdom's reaffirmation that the security of the Middle East region necessitates the expedited pursuit of a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue.

The Minister explained that the solution should be built upon the foundation of international legitimacy resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative, guaranteeing the Palestinian people's right to establish their independent state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

"The Kingdom reiterated its rejection and condemnation of all unilateral actions, considered violations and blatant breaches of all international laws."

"These actions contribute to undermining regional and international peace efforts and hinder the paths of political solutions," he added.

Bin Farhan confirmed the Kingdom's keenness to support efforts of establishing security and stability, focusing on comprehensive development, making room for dialogue, calming and easing tensions, and urging countries in the region to avoid escalation.

He indicated that exchanging interests and benefits helps achieve the hopes and aspirations of the region's people.

The Kingdom worked to consolidate the principle of collective action to build a better future for the region and the World by hosting several joint regional summits within the framework of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the League of Arab States with the participation of all countries, including Syria, he said.

He renewed the Kingdom's call for removing weapons of mass destruction, noting that the international community must realize the importance of adhering to existing conventions and legal frameworks to arrive at a World free of nuclear weapons, especially in the Middle East.

The Foreign Minister also addressed climate change in his speech, noting that Saudi Arabia contributes to reducing emissions and supports the gradual and responsible transition towards clean, low-emission energy systems that use all sources to be more sustainable.

He indicated that the Kingdom announced the "Saudi Green" and "Middle East Green" initiatives to lead global efforts to protect the environment, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, enhance public health and quality of life, improve renewable energy, and achieve sustainable development.

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Gulf

Saudi Crown Prince, Bahrain’s King Discuss Regional Developments

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. SPA
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. SPA
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Saudi Crown Prince, Bahrain’s King Discuss Regional Developments

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. SPA
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. SPA

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, received on Friday a phone call from Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

During the call, they reviewed the latest regional developments and efforts to enhance security and stability in the region, and discussed a number of topics of mutual interest.

Gulf

Saudi Arabia Seeks Lasting Agreement to Enhance Regional Security

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif (Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif (Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
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Saudi Arabia Seeks Lasting Agreement to Enhance Regional Security

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif (Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif (Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman welcomed the agreement between the United States and Iran to end military operations, reached through mediation efforts by Pakistan, and reaffirmed the Kingdom’s aspiration for a lasting agreement that enhances regional security and stability.

The remarks came during a phone call the Crown Prince received on Friday from Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, who expressed his appreciation for the Kingdom’s support in efforts to reach the memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran.

In turn, the Crown Prince welcomed the agreement between the United States and Iran to end military operations and emphasized the Kingdom’s hope that it would lead to a durable arrangement that strengthens security and stability across the region.

The two leaders also reviewed bilateral relations between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan and explored avenues to enhance joint cooperation.

For his part, Shehbaz Sharif said in a post on his official account on the social media platform X that the phone call was marked by warmth and mutual appreciation. He added that he congratulated Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the signing of the “historic Islamabad peace agreement.”

The Pakistani prime minister stressed that the Saudi Crown Prince’s leadership, together with the Kingdom’s steadfast commitment to supporting security, stability and peace in the Middle East, had been a key pillar in advancing efforts to overcome the region’s crisis.

Shehbaz Sharif added: “We agreed that the next phase requires continued commitment to dialogue and diplomacy as the primary path forward, while maintaining the highest level of vigilance against any attempts to undermine the peace process or obstruct the progress achieved.”

He further expressed deep appreciation for the exceptional level reached in Saudi-Pakistani relations, affirming his desire to continue working jointly to strengthen the economic partnership between the two countries under the vision and leadership of Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Gulf

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Türkiye, Pakistan Move to Deepen Partnership, Cooperation

Foreign ministers attend a four-way meeting in Riyadh on March 20. (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
Foreign ministers attend a four-way meeting in Riyadh on March 20. (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
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Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Türkiye, Pakistan Move to Deepen Partnership, Cooperation

Foreign ministers attend a four-way meeting in Riyadh on March 20. (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
Foreign ministers attend a four-way meeting in Riyadh on March 20. (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)

Egypt will host a four-way meeting with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan, days after Washington and Tehran finalized a memorandum of understanding to stop the war that began in late February.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty will meet his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Türkiye’s Hakan Fidan and Pakistan’s Mohammad Ishaq Dar in Cairo on Sunday for a four-way meeting, Egypt’s state news agency reported late on Thursday.

The talks will be followed by an expanded session and a press conference.

A former Egyptian diplomat told Asharq Al-Awsat the meeting would focus on “ways to consolidate cooperation, deepen partnership and coordinate on regional issues, complete efforts to cement de-escalation in the region, and narrow differences during the next 60 days of negotiations between Washington and Tehran.”

The quartet played a prominent role in reaching the US-Iran agreement days ago. Its efforts formally began with a meeting in March in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, followed by meetings in Islamabad and Antalya as part of efforts to end the Iran war.

The meeting comes two days after the Swiss government said negotiations between the United States and Iran, due to begin on Friday in Switzerland, had been postponed indefinitely.

The announcement came hours after a planned visit by US Vice President JD Vance was canceled.

Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said earlier on Thursday that he had approved the memorandum of understanding signed by Washington and Tehran, despite expressing reservations about it.

US forces said they had lifted a naval blockade on Iranian ports after the memorandum was signed by the US and Iranian presidents on Wednesday.

Ambassador Mohamed Hegazy, a member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs and a former assistant foreign minister, told Asharq Al-Awsat the call for the four-way meeting marked an important step in regional consultations at a time of deep strategic shifts in the Middle East.

He cited the ceasefire, the containment of the US-Iran military confrontation, and the risks of the continuing war in Gaza and its impact on regional security and stability.

He said the “consultative quartet” of influential regional states had “proved its presence as an effective regional and international framework capable of addressing problems and issues in coordination with regional states and major powers to calm regional conditions and deal with their problems.”

Hegazy said the meeting’s importance went beyond traditional political coordination. He expected the agenda to include support for consolidating the “Washington-Tehran agreement,” continuing negotiations, discussing Gaza and Lebanon, and backing efforts to secure a sustainable regional calm.

The meeting is also expected to “open the door to deepening partnership and coordination among the quartet, and to studying the possibility of holding a regional or international conference on security and cooperation in the Middle East, similar to successful experiences in other regions,” Hegazy said.

Such a conference, he said, would aim to draft a declaration of principles governing regional relations and establish institutional mechanisms for dialogue, dispute settlement, and stronger economic, security and humanitarian cooperation among the region’s countries.

Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday that Abdelatty held separate phone calls with Pakistan’s Mohammad Ishaq Dar and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to discuss regional developments after the US-Iran memorandum of understanding.

An official statement said the Egyptian and Pakistani ministers stressed “the importance of continuing coordination and joint consultation in the coming phase to ensure the implementation of the memorandum of understanding and reach a final and sustainable agreement that takes into account the interests and concerns of all parties and strengthens diplomatic solutions, in a way that achieves security and stability in the region.”

In his call with Araghchi, Abdelatty expressed hope that the memorandum of understanding would become “an important turning point in support of security and stability in the region, and contribute to opening the way to addressing all issues through dialogue and diplomatic means.”

He also voiced hope for a final and sustainable agreement that addresses the concerns of all parties and supports efforts to achieve lasting security and stability in the region.

Hegazy said it was important to maintain “serious dialogue among the main regional powers over the shape of the regional order that should govern relations among the countries of the region in the next phase, ensuring a shift from the logic of managing successive and recurring crises to building a stable system of security, cooperation and development.”

The current phase requires “the formulation of mutual understandings with Iran on the security of the Arabian Gulf, in a way that reassures all parties and lays the foundation for normal relations based on good neighborliness, common interests, and the non-use or threat of force,” Hegazy said.

He also called for strengthening political and security dialogue mechanisms to prevent the region from returning to cycles of escalation and confrontation, and for building frameworks to manage cooperation and development among the region's countries across various fields.