The Arab Parliament underlined the need to confront foreign interference in regional affairs and called for a comprehensive strategy to deter the threats of Iranian policies in the region.
At the conclusion of its meeting on Saturday at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, the Fourth Conference of the Arab Parliament and the heads of Arab Councils and Parliaments approved a document entitled, “A Parliamentary Vision to Achieving Security and Stability and Advancing the Current Arab Reality.”
During a press conference, Arab Parliament Speaker Adel bin Abdul-Rahman Al-Assoumi emphasized the need for “an Arab strategy to address foreign interference that affects the stability of Arab countries.”
He described Iranian interference in the region as “dangerous”, as it “contradicts international norms and laws and supports terrorism,” calling for “the development of an integrated Arab plan to confront this threat.”
The document, which presented the Arab vision towards various affairs, including in Palestine, Yemen, Libya, Sudan, Somalia and Lebanon, underlined the need to curb foreign interference in the affairs of Arab countries, combat terrorism and extremist ideology, and address issues of water and nuclear security.
It also touched on women and youth empowerment, education development, promotion of inter-religious and intercultural dialogue and investment in modern technology.
“The decline of the Arab role in resolving the crises facing the region has created a vacuum that has been exploited by terrorist and sectarian organizations, and by regional and international parties, to control the capabilities of our peoples and drag them into sectarian and ethnic conflicts,” Al-Assoumi said.
He warned of the escalation of cybercrime, which he said threatened the digital economy and vital infrastructure in Arab countries.
He noted that the Arab parliament “intends to organize the first parliamentary conference on protecting and enhancing cyber security in the Arab world, in partnership with a number of regional and international institutions.”
Arab League Secretary General Ahmad Aboul Gheit told the meeting that challenges facing the Arab countries “require vigilance to plots aimed at dividing societies on sectarian, ethnic, religious or regional basis.”
