Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain Welcome Upcoming Summit in Saudi Arabia

The leaders of Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain during their meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh in the presence of officials from the three countries (Egyptian presidency)
The leaders of Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain during their meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh in the presence of officials from the three countries (Egyptian presidency)
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Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain Welcome Upcoming Summit in Saudi Arabia

The leaders of Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain during their meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh in the presence of officials from the three countries (Egyptian presidency)
The leaders of Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain during their meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh in the presence of officials from the three countries (Egyptian presidency)

Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain have welcomed the upcoming summit to be hosted by Saudi Arabia in July, comprising leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, and the United States.

The support for the US regional summit in Jeddah, scheduled for next month, was voiced during a trilateral meeting between Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa and Jordan’s King Abdullah in Sharm El-Sheikh on Sunday.

The Saudi Royal Diwan has announced a scheduled official visit of US President Joe Biden to the Kingdom on July 15-16, at the invitation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz.

According to the Diwan, Biden is slated to attend a joint summit to which King Salman had invited the leaders of GCC countries, the Jordanian monarch, the Egyptian president, and the prime minister of Iraq.

Sisi, at the trilateral meeting, confirmed Egypt’s hope for reinforcing constructive cooperation with Bahrain and Jordan.

The talks touched upon the tracks of cooperation between Egypt, Bahrain, and Jordan, in addition to ways of achieving common goals and interests, Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady said in a statement following the meeting.

Sisi said Egypt aspires to further cooperation with Bahrain and Jordan to achieve the common interests of the peoples of the three nations as well as boost joint Arab action, particularly amid great challenges of multiple regional and international developments.

The Bahraini and Jordanian kings praised "the inextricable" ties binding the three countries, stressing their keenness to elevate cooperation with Egypt to the level of strategic partnership.

Furthermore, the kings added that they seek maximizing benefits of opportunities and potentials of cooperation relations with Egypt, Rady's statement added.

King Hamad and King Abdullah also said that relations between the three countries “represent a cornerstone for maintaining regional security and stability as well as restoring balance to the region, in light of the pivotal importance of Egypt, Bahrain, and Jordan regionally and internationally.”

The talks also touched upon the mutual coordination regarding issues of common concerns, in addition to the latest developments on regional and international fronts and challenges facing the region.



French Ambassador to Saudi Arabia to Asharq Al-Awsat: Military Option Ineffective in Israel-Iran Conflict 

French Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Patrick Maisonnave. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
French Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Patrick Maisonnave. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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French Ambassador to Saudi Arabia to Asharq Al-Awsat: Military Option Ineffective in Israel-Iran Conflict 

French Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Patrick Maisonnave. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
French Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Patrick Maisonnave. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

French Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Patrick Maisonnave said Paris believes that military intervention will not resolve the “problem” over Iran’s nuclear program.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, he said such a solution was “ineffective” because it cannot completely eliminate Iran’s nuclear knowledge or ensure the complete destruction of all of its nuclear facilities.

Moreover, he warned against attempts to change the Iranian regime from the outside, saying it may have dire consequences, such as the collapse of the state, civil war, instability, regional conflicts, migration crises and raise terrorism threat levels.

This instability may also impact the security of the Gulf region and extend to Europe as well, he warned.

Damage to Iran’s nuclear sites may lead to dangerous radiation in the region that may spread to other regions, including Gulf waters, he went on to say.

Furthermore, military intervention will pose major dangers to regional stability, the security of France’s partners and allies in the region, and the Hormuz Strait. It may lead to attacks on American military bases and energy infrastructure, warned Maisonnave.

A diplomatic solution is the best way forward, he stressed, explaining that it will lead to a viable and permanent solution that enjoys international backing. This solution must tackle technical issues, such as enrichment levels. It also averts the grave consequences of military escalation.

A diplomatic solution must ensure that International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors are allowed to tour nuclear facilities at any time and without prior notice, he added.

This is the path that France chose in the past and that it believes is the best way to reach a permanent and peaceful solution, he stressed.

At the same time, the ambassador acknowledged that the Iranian nuclear program was a dangerous threat to French and European security interests, as well as to countries of the Gulf given its potential to destabilize the region and the “security of our allies”.

This concern deepened after IAEA inspectors were for years unable to ensure the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program, he remarked.

France and European countries are very concerned that the program was not designed with purely civilian purposes, Maisonnave said.