R20 Interfaith Summit Launches Forum to Build Bridges Between East, West

Secretary-General of the Muslim World League, Mohammed Al-Issa.
Secretary-General of the Muslim World League, Mohammed Al-Issa.
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R20 Interfaith Summit Launches Forum to Build Bridges Between East, West

Secretary-General of the Muslim World League, Mohammed Al-Issa.
Secretary-General of the Muslim World League, Mohammed Al-Issa.

The R20 Summit, the first official engagement group on religion in the history of the G20, has announced the launch of a forum titled “Building Bridges Between the East and the West: For a More Understanding and Peaceful World and More Coexisting and Harmonious Communities.”

Secretary-General of the Muslim World League, Mohammed Al-Issa said the forum is part of the interfaith group recently adopted by the G20 presidency as part of the activities of the group formed by the world’s 20 largest economies.

The forum will discuss several pressing issues, including the inclusion of religious minorities, the refugee situation, and divisive religious, intellectual, and cultural issues, along with relevant political matters.

“The forum will constitute the biggest, most important and most welcoming and professional platform between the East and the West,” stressed Al-Issa.

“It will witness the participation of senior specialists in the religious, intellectual, social and political fields, namely political parties and parliamentary committees dealing with humanitarian and social affairs,” he added.

In keeping with the aims of the forum, the R20 Summit is expected to issue decisions on the establishment of scientific chairs at universities in the East and West, in addition to mechanisms that ensure positive communications between them.

Several academics, institutions, research and supervision centers, and orientalists will also participate in the event through the presentation of research, studies, and reports.

The forum will include the participation of senior academics from Harvard University, including colleagues of late Samuel Huntington, the author of a thesis titled “Clash of Civilizations” that caused widespread controversy as a result of its argument that future wars will be fought not between nations but based on cultural and religious identities.

Al-Issa received the Norwegian Bridge Builder Award in 2021, the World’s Religions Peace Award from Sri Lanka in 2019, and the Italian Galileo International Award in 2018 for his efforts in promoting religious and cultural harmony worldwide.



Saudi Arabia, Egypt to Establish Framework for Joint Coordination Council

 Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi during a previous meeting. (SPA)
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi during a previous meeting. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia, Egypt to Establish Framework for Joint Coordination Council

 Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi during a previous meeting. (SPA)
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi during a previous meeting. (SPA)

Riyadh and Cairo are setting up the framework for the Saudi-Egyptian Higher Coordination Council, Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said.

Experts told Asharq Al-Awsat the move strengthens political, economic, and development ties between the two nations.

In a televised statement on Thursday, Abdelatty said: “We are working on the council’s coordination structure,” highlighting the “strong strategic partnership and continuous cooperation” between Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi signed an agreement in Cairo in October to establish the council, which they will co-chair.

In November, Egypt approved the council, saying it aims to strengthen cooperation and communication between the two countries in various fields.

Saudi journalist Khaled Al-Majrashi called the council a step toward deeper Saudi-Egyptian integration, focusing on investment and trade under the guidance of both nations’ leaders.

“The council sets a framework for future collaboration, particularly in areas like investment and trade, under the directives of both nations’ leaderships,” Al-Majrashi said, citing earlier remarks by Saudi Commerce Minister Majid Al-Qasabi about his mandate to promote investment in Egypt.

Former Egyptian Deputy Foreign Minister Rakha Ahmed Hassan said the council will remove obstacles to cooperation and deepen ties across all sectors.

Egyptian Senator Dr. Abdel Monem Said described Saudi Arabia and Egypt as the region’s “balancing pillars,” saying stronger cooperation is crucial to tackle regional challenges. He called the council a key step toward stability and joint action.

“No Arab country can face regional instability alone,” he said, adding that the council will help protect both nations from threats and improve coordination on shared challenges.

In September, Abdelatty and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah said the council would deepen ties and boost cooperation in politics, trade, investment, and development.

Last month, Egypt’s government said the council will include officials from both sides, hold regular meetings in both countries, and replace the previous joint committee framework.