HM King Hamad tells leaders at Jeddah summit to stay united, end Iran’s interferences

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

In a thinly veiled warning, leaders at the Jeddah Security and Development Summit yesterday called for united efforts to end Iran’s “direct interference in the internal affairs of states.” The summit, where the GCC and Arab leaders and US President Joe Biden sat together, also drew attention to resolving Palestine and Yemen crises and ending the global energy crisis for lasting regional peace and security.

Addressing the summit, His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa termed the “direct interference” of Iran as one of the most ‘serious’ challenges in the region that have strategic importance internationally. Warning against such acts, HM King said the “time has come for us to unite efforts to end such interferences.”

“ This is to ensure the sovereignty of our states, religious and cultural values,” HM King said without naming Iran. Joint efforts, HM King further reminded the summit, are also crucial to keeping the Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction and combating terrorism and terrorist organisations.

Palestine, Yemen

HM King also alerted the leaders that for bringing lasting peace in the region, “we need to resolve the Palestinian issue and the Yemeni crisis.” The Middle Eastern region, HM King said, suffered for years and continues to suffer from the complex political, security and economic pitfalls.

These are also other ‘serious’ challenges that need deeper thinking, HM said, further shining the spotlight on the Palestinian cause. “There needs a just and lasting solution that establishes an independent Palestinian state following the two-state solution and the Arab Peace Initiative.

“There needs a solution that creates promising and sustainable economic opportunities for brotherly Palestinian people. “There needs a solution for the Yemeni crisis through political settlement,” HM King said.

There is also a need to “strengthen joint naval surveillance to protect oil supplies, global trade and international navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and Bab Al-Mandab.” In this regard, HM King said, “We highly appreciate the fruitful and constructive cooperation between our valiant naval forces and the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet for more than seventy-five years from Bahrain.”

Energy stability key

HM King also urged the summit leaders to boost efforts to stabilise global energy prices, expand exploration and refining, and introduce new technologies to support global economic growth and reduce price inflation. HM King said Bahrain does not forget the need to achieve food security by ensuring unhindered access to grains and wheat.

In his closing remarks, HM King said he has “hope” and “optimism” that the summit will yield fruitful and constructive results that boost cooperation and friendly ties.

“This would help us confront political, security, economic and environmental challenges, establish security and stability and lay the foundations for the future.” HM King also hailed the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for the outstanding success of this year’s Hajj season and consolidating strategic partnership with the United States of America led by Joe Biden.

Invest in clean energy

Later, in his address, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman echoed HM King’s warning on Iran’s direct internal interference. “We call on Iran to cooperate and not interfere in the affairs of the countries in the region,” said Prince Mohammed. He also stressed that the stability of the region rests on the ability to attain political solutions in Syria and Libya. He also stressed that the summit happens when the world is facing grave challenges.

In this regard, the Saudi Crown Prince stressed that the global economy and stability of the energy prices are closely related. “We must continue to pump investments in clean energy,” he said, adding that the Kingdom had already announced an increase in its production capacity to 13 million barrels.

The summit kicked off with leaders joining for a family photo, where the Saudi Crown Prince conveyed the greetings of King Salman to all the participants.