Saudi FM: Regional Meddling Destabilizing the Region

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah. (SPA)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah. (SPA)
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Saudi FM: Regional Meddling Destabilizing the Region

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah. (SPA)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah. (SPA)

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah stated on Monday that foreign meddling in Arab internal affairs were playing a destabilizing role through supporting armed terrorist militias and stoking sectarian and ethnic divisions.

Speaking before an Arab-Chinese ministerial virtual meeting, he stressed that such meddling demands a “serious stance” from the international community.

Saudi Arabia underscores the unity and sovereignty of Arab territories, he added, saying that Riyadh does not interfere in their internal affairs and opposes anything that destabilizes the region.

Moreover, Prince Faisal remarked that Arab-Chinese cooperation was growing stronger, noting that it is based on each side “respecting international law, the sovereignty and independence of nations and resolving conflicts through peaceful means.”

He said that both sides are keen on “expanding and deepening” cooperation in order to achieve mutual interests.

“Joint efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic are among the fruits of this cooperation,” he noted.

Prince Faisal hailed Beijing for its support to the Palestinian people’s rights, the 2002 Arab peace initiative and two-state solution.

On Saudi-Chinese relations, the minister said they are bound by “growing ties of friendship in all fields, which will pave the way for a comprehensive strategic partnership.”

Beijing is Riyadh’s greatest trade partner, he noted, representing 13 percent of the Kingdom’s exports and 15 percent of its imports.



Saudi Arabia to Host Talks between US, Russian, Ukrainian Officials on Monday

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy gestures as he attends a press conference, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine March 12, 2025. (Reuters)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy gestures as he attends a press conference, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine March 12, 2025. (Reuters)
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Saudi Arabia to Host Talks between US, Russian, Ukrainian Officials on Monday

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy gestures as he attends a press conference, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine March 12, 2025. (Reuters)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy gestures as he attends a press conference, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine March 12, 2025. (Reuters)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday Ukrainian experts would be present at upcoming talks in Saudi Arabia involving the United States and Russia, but will not be in the same room as Russia, as a diplomatic push to end the war intensifies.

Russian and US experts are due to discuss ways to ensure the safety of shipping in the Black Sea at talks on a possible peace settlement in Saudi Arabia on Monday, the Kremlin said.

"There will be technical teams present there," Zelenskiy said during a visit to Norway.

"I understand that the structure is the following: there will be a meeting of Ukraine and America and then some shuttle diplomacy, as our American colleagues said, America with Russia," he told a press conference with Norway's premier.

Zelenskiy said on Wednesday Kyiv would draw up a list of facilities that could be subject to a partial ceasefire brokered by Washington. That list could include not only energy, but also rail and port infrastructure, he said.

Negotiators from Moscow and the US will meet Monday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Russian President Vladimir Putin's foreign affairs adviser Sergei Ushakov told Russian news agencies.

US President Donald Trump and Zelenskiy agreed on Wednesday to work together to end Russia's war with Ukraine, in what the White House described as a "fantastic" one-hour phone call, their first conversation since their Oval Office shouting match that resulted in a short-term cutoff in US military aid and intelligence to Kyiv.

Trump said on Thursday the United States will sign a minerals and natural resources deal with Ukraine shortly and that his efforts to achieve a peace deal for the country were going "pretty well" after his talks this week with the Russian and Ukrainian leaders.

Ukraine and the US said this month they had agreed to conclude as soon as possible a comprehensive agreement for developing Ukraine's critical mineral resources, which Trump sees as a means to pay back the United States for its assistance to Kyiv.