New York
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, addressed the 78th UN General Assembly in New York, highlighting the importance of human rights and peaceful solutions to various world crises. He emphasized the Kingdom’s support for a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which allows the Palestinian people to have an independent state within the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Prince Faisal also called for solutions to conflicts and crises in Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq, Libya, Ukraine, and Sudan. He emphasized the Kingdom’s keenness on the security and stability of the Republic of Yemen and supported all efforts aimed at resolving the crisis in Yemen. He called for de-escalation in Sudan and called for the withdrawal of all foreign forces in Libya.
Prince Faisal also highlighted Saudi efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine, including inviting the country to attend the Arab League Summit in Jeddah in May and hosting an international summit on the war in August. He praised the resumption of diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which resumed diplomatic ties in April after seven years of strained relations.
Prince Faisal also called on the international community to take action against Islamophobia, urging the world to show firmness and determination when it comes to supporting or sponsoring terrorism or extremism. He warned against acts that jeopardize mutual respect and understanding between peoples and hinder international efforts towards tolerance, moderation, and rejection of extremism.
On climate change, Prince Faisal reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s commitment to reducing emissions and transitioning towards clean energy systems with low emissions. The Kingdom has launched the Saudi Green Initiative and Middle East Green Initiative to protect the environment and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
In terms of global energy supply, Saudi Arabia is working with OPEC to meet consumer and producer needs while focusing on technology and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He also stressed the importance of eliminating nuclear weapons.
