Saudi, US FMs Discuss Efforts to Consolidate Peace

Saudi FM Prince Faisal bin Farhan meets with Blinken in Rome. (SPA)
Saudi FM Prince Faisal bin Farhan meets with Blinken in Rome. (SPA)
TT

Saudi, US FMs Discuss Efforts to Consolidate Peace

Saudi FM Prince Faisal bin Farhan meets with Blinken in Rome. (SPA)
Saudi FM Prince Faisal bin Farhan meets with Blinken in Rome. (SPA)

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah held talks on Sunday with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the strategic and historic ties that bind their countries.

Meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rome, they tackled means to bolster these relations in all fields to and to boost joint coordination.

They also addressed several regional and international issues of interest, including efforts to bolster security and stability in the Middle East and the world.

They tackled joint efforts to combat climate change and protect the environment in order to bolster international sustainable development. Prince Faisal and Blinken reviewed the Saudi Green and Middle East Green initiatives that will help in protecting the planet and achieve international goals to that end.

The officials also reviewed the latest developments in Sudan and exchanged views on Iran’s nuclear program.

While in Rome, Prince Faisal met with African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat. They discussed Saudi Arabia’s ties with the AU and ways of bolstering them in various fields.



Saudi Crown Prince: We Stand by Gaza and Lebanon, Reject Attacks on Iran

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chairs the extraordinary Arab-Islamic summit in Riyadh on Monday. (SPA)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chairs the extraordinary Arab-Islamic summit in Riyadh on Monday. (SPA)
TT

Saudi Crown Prince: We Stand by Gaza and Lebanon, Reject Attacks on Iran

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chairs the extraordinary Arab-Islamic summit in Riyadh on Monday. (SPA)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chairs the extraordinary Arab-Islamic summit in Riyadh on Monday. (SPA)

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, stressed on Monday the Kingdom’s categorical rejection of Israel’s attacks on Gaza.

He made his remarks while opening the extraordinary Arab-Islamic summit in Riyadh.

Crown Prince Mohammed expressed solidarity with Lebanon and declared his rejection of attempts to undermine the role of the Palestinian Authority and efforts to hinder the role of humanitarian agencies in Gaza.

He condemned attempts to thwart the work of UNRWA in the Palestinian territories, while underscoring the need for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

Crown Prince Mohammed also highlighted Saudi Arabia’s launch of an international coalition for supporting the two-state solution to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

He also announced his rejection of attacks on Iranian territories.

Arab and Islamic leaders arrived in Riyadh on Monday to attend the summit.

Speaking at the opening of the event, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi declared: “We condemn the systematic killing of Palestinians in Gaza and we reject their displacement.”

“We must work together to implement the two-state solution,” he urged, while voicing commitment to just and fair peace.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II said: “We must focus our efforts immediately on ending the Israeli siege on Gaza and ending the humanitarian catastrophe.”

“These wars must stop so that we can prevent the region from slipping into a wide-scale conflict,” he added.

“The region is enduring a tragedy that demands immediate action,” he stressed.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas expressed his gratitude to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed for supporting the drive for countries to recognize a Palestinian state, noting that it was the foundation for achieving stability and peace.

He demanded the implementation of United Nations Security Council resolution 2735 that would stop the Israeli assault and allow the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza

He also called on the international community to impose sanctions on Israel, accusing it of committing “genocide against the Palestinian people for over a year.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for “isolating Israel on the international stage should it fail to end its attacks on Gaza and Lebanon.”

He also called for “imposing an arms and trade embargo against it.”

The solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict lies in the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, he stressed.

Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said his country is “going through an unprecedented historic and fateful crisis.”

“Israel cannot continue with its assault on Lebanon and its people,” he demanded, saying over 3,000 people have been killed and the human losses are devastating.

Mikati urged the gatherers to continue on sending aid to Lebanon.

On the regional level, he said the greatest challenge lies in the Palestinian cause and the suffering of the Palestinian people, echoing demands for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.