Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan on Saturday said that development is the motive for the Kingdom and many Arab countries to hold global summits like the ones held in Riyadh, asserting that it is also the “motive from which we derive our foreign policies.”
Speaking at a press conference after the three Riyadh summits, Bin Farhan said in response to a question by Asharq Al-Awsat that political action is a waste of national resources if it does not serve economic and development interests and enhance the well-being of citizens.
The minister affirmed that Saudi Arabia is politically engaged with China and all global parties, given that Saudi Arabia is an involved party and has an important regional and international role.
Saudi Arabia focuses on harnessing its political role to serve its interests and development interests first, including protecting its security in order to be able to protect regional security and stability and harnessing ways to promote economic growth.
The minister added that his country has strategic partnerships with the US, India, China, Japan, and Germany and is open to everyone.
Bin Farhan asserted that his country continues to extend its hand to Iran for a "positive relationship."
The minister pointed out in the joint conference with the secretaries of the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council that the Riyadh summits focused on qualitative decisions that support economic development with China.
He reiterated the importance of boosting cooperation between the Arab countries and Beijing, noting that collaboration with a country like China would help face challenges.
Bin Farhan revealed that the Chinese-Gulf summit discussed reaching a free trade agreement between China and the Gulf states.
For his part, the Arab League Secretary-General, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, stated that the Arab states want to build their societies, and no one can ignore the US because it is the largest economy in the world.
Aboul Gheit called on Ethiopia to negotiate with Egypt and Sudan about the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in good faith to reach a "legal and binding agreement."
