The ministerial meetings of the Arab Economic and Social Council kicked off on Monday in Jeddah.
Speaking on behalf of Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Ambassador Hossam Zaki said that the meetings were taking place “amid positive developments in the Arab region.”
Syrian participation after a 12-year absence
A Syrian delegation, headed by Minister of Economy and Trade Mohammad Samer Khalil, participated in the meeting, following a decision to accept Syria’s return to the Arab League after 12 years of isolation.
President Bashar al-Assad has also received an official invitation from Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz to participate in the Arab Summit, which will be hosted in Jeddah on Friday.
“Syrian government delegations will resume their participation in the meetings of the Arab League, in implementation of the decision of the Arab foreign ministers at their meeting last week,” the Arab League secretary general said, noting that this “atmosphere would prompt us to renew the determination to revive the principle of Arab solidarity.”
Despite his optimistic tone, Aboul Gheit warned: “This positive atmosphere should not push us away from the reality that the Arab region has been witnessing for years, namely the accumulation of challenges...”
He continued: “These challenges are deeply intertwined... and have produced a new wave of displacement in the Arab region, casting a shadow over various aspects of life, in a way that still poses serious threats to Arab national security in its various security, economic and social pillars.”
Promoting Arab economic action
Aboul Gheit called for joining efforts to find “sustainable Arab political solutions and strengthen economic and social action.”
In this context, he urged the participants to “intensify work in order to develop action plans” with a clear timeframe, with the aim to alleviate the suffering of vulnerable groups in Arab societies.
He also expressed the readiness of the “League of Arab States to facilitate these efforts, bring paths closer, and coordinate movements.”
According to the Secretary-General, the agenda of the current meetings deals with Arab agreements and strategies that were reached after strenuous efforts and approved by the ministerial councils.
Those mainly include the Arab Strategy for Tourism, the Arab Strategy for Communications and Information, known as the “Arab Digital Agenda” and the Arab Covenant for Persons with Disabilities.
Aboul Gheit also stressed that food security was one of the most important and urgent Arab priorities, referring to the diminishing food stocks at the global level, as well as high prices, limited resources, and the continued population growth.
The need for economic integration
For his part, Saudi Minister of Finance Mohammed Al-Jadaan welcomed the return of Syria to the Arab League, saying: “I take this opportunity to welcome the return of the Syrian Arab Republic to the League of Arab States, looking forward to working with everyone to achieve the aspirations of the leaders and the people.”
Al-Jadaan explained that the successive global crises resulted in common development and economic challenges, which highlighted the importance of economic integration among Arab countries, and the need to develop sustainable economic and financial models that contribute to enhancing flexibility to face upcoming challenges and risks.
The minister underlined the need to redouble efforts to ensure the implementation of the decisions issued by the previous Arab summit in Algeria, in a way that benefits the Arab countries and reflects positively on their peoples.
He expressed hope that the Jeddah summit would be crowned with success and help push joint Arab action forward, to achieve the aspirations of the leaderships of Arab countries and their people.
Meanwhile, Syrian Minister of Economy and Trade Mohammed Samer Khalil encouraged Arab countries to invest in Syria, pointing to the presence of promising opportunities and new laws that attract investments in profitable and economically feasible sectors for all sides.
