Syrian President Assad Calls Arab League Summit a ‘Historic Opportunity’ to Resolve Regional Issues Without Foreign Interference
In spite of the United States' vocal disapproval, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has given his first address to the Arab League summit in 12 years, making a comeback to the League.
At the summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Friday, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad urged the Arab League’s member states to tackle regional problems without any external interference.
Syrian official news agency SANA reported that Assad declared a “historic opportunity to rearrange our affairs with the least amount of foreign intervention.”
On May 7, the Arab League readmitted Syria in spite of warnings from the United States, which was endorsed by the 13 out of 22 member states present at the meeting.
Washington has not embraced the increasing acceptance of Syria, as their policies of the last ten years have been directed towards overthrowing the Assad regime and cutting off the country.
In his speech, President Assad expressed a desire for more collaboration between countries in the region, stating, “Let this be the start of a new chapter of Arab solidarity, peace, progress, and prosperity instead of war and destruction.”
He emphasized that it is essential to bridge the gap between Syria and other Arab countries that has developed in the last ten years, and the most essential element is to allow the population to handle their own internal matters without external interference.
Assad was welcomed in Riyadh.
At the summit, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman expressed his pleasure at the presence of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, stating, “We are delighted to have President Bashar al-Assad here with us today.”
It was the de facto ruler of the kingdom’s hope that the return of Syria would bring “stability.”
Assad’s first visit to Saudi Arabia since the two nations decided to reestablish diplomatic relations and reopen embassies in March has just taken place.
In November 2011, the Arab League made the decision to suspend Syria’s membership due to the country’s campaign against the most dangerous militants coming in from other countries. Syria, one of the six original members of the Arab League since 1945, expressed their disapproval of the decision and called it “illegal and in violation of the organization’s charter.”
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman held a meeting today.
After the summit had ended, Assad had a conference with Mohammed bin Salman, who is in control of Saudi Arabia.
A statement from the office of the Syrian President revealed that the sides discussed bilateral relations and recent developments in the Arab region after the diplomatic restoration.
Assad expressed support for Riyadh’s efforts towards Arab reconciliation, hoping that the summit would contribute to strengthening unity among Arab nations.
