Arab summit offers platform for ties reset
Leaders vow joint action to promote regional welfare, in Saudi-hosted talks
The 32nd Arab League summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, ended on May 19 on a promising note, with a joint declaration focusing on strengthening Arab actions that would support stability and development in the region, and free from foreign interference.
Despite differing views on Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad’s participation at the summit for the first time since the Syrian civil war began in 2011, and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky’s surprise appearance, the high-level meeting provided a platform to reset relationships where world dynamics are changing rapidly, analysts said.
The summit provided a “unique chance for countries in the region to put behind them tumultuous decades and move forward in a world where the dynamics are changing rapidly and allies continue to shift”, said Arhama Siddiqa, a Middle East analyst and research fellow at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) in Pakistan.
In a joint communique by the Arab League published by the Saudi Press Agency, the bloc reaffirmed the centrality of the Palestinian issue to their countries as one of the key factors of stability in the region, condemned violations targeting Palestinians, their lives, property and existence, and stressed the importance of having a two-state solution.
The declaration also welcomed the resumption of the Syrian government’s participation in meetings of the Arab League and affiliated bodies in hopes that it would intensify panArab efforts aimed at helping Syria overcome its crisis.
Support for Yemen and the efforts of its Presidential Leadership Council to achieve security, stability and peace were also highlighted.
Haydar Oruc, a former researcher at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies in Turkiye, said the summit declaration helped draw attention to Israeli attacks on Palestine.
The Arab League has fundamental issues that are hindering it from becoming a major player in world politics, he said, citing, as an example, lack of consensus among all members in regard to approach toward Syria.
During his speech at the summit, Assad said he hoped the summit would be a starting point for Arab action and solidarity among Arab states to achieve peace, prosperity and development in the region instead of war and destruction, Syrian Arab News Agency reported.
“We are in front of a historic opportunity to rearrange our affairs with the least amount of foreign intervention,” Assad said.
Muslim Imran, director at the Asia Middle East Center for Research and Dialogue, a think tank in Malaysia, said the meeting was an opportunity for the 22-member Arab League to do some “soul-searching and reformation” over what has happened over the past decade, especially after
the disastrous “Arab Spring” in 2010.
Siddiqa from the ISSI said: “It is interesting to consider how world events can bring people together and
create new opportunities for growth and change, and it will be fascinating to see how these developments play out in the coming years.”
“It showcases Arab solidarity in the face of adversity and gives hope that the region might still see sustainable peace.”