Saudi Arabia dives into Ukraine war peace push with Jeddah talks

India has also confirmed its attendance in Jeddah, describing the move as in line "with our longstanding position" that "dialogue and diplomacy is the way forward."

Natalie Zaichenko, 60, tends to the grave of her son, a Ukrainian soldier who was killed in the war against Russia, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia was set to host talks on the Ukraine war on Saturday in the latest flexing of its diplomatic muscle, though expectations are mild for what the gathering might achieve.

The meeting of national security advisers and other officials in the Red Sea coastal city of Jeddah underscores Riyadh's "readiness to exert its good offices to contribute to reaching a solution that will result in permanent peace," the official Saudi Press Agency said Friday.

Invitations were sent to around 30 countries, Russia not among them, according to diplomats familiar with the preparations. The SPA report said only that "a number of countries" would attend.

It follows Ukraine-organised talks in Copenhagen in June that were designed to be informal and did not yield an official statement.

Instead, diplomats said the sessions were intended to engage a range of countries in debates about a path towards peace, notably members of the BRICS bloc with Russia that have adopted a more neutral stance on the war in contrast to Western powers.

Speaking on Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the wide range of countries represented in the Jeddah talks, including developing countries that have been hit hard by the surge in food prices triggered by the war.

"This is very important because, on issues such as food security, the fate of millions of people in Africa, Asia, and other parts of the world directly depends on how fast the world moves to implement the peace formula," he said.

Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest crude exporter which works closely with Russia on oil policy, has touted its ties to both sides and positioned itself as a possible mediator in the war, now nearly a year and a half old.

"In hosting the summit, Saudi Arabia wants to reinforce its bid to become a global middle power with the ability to mediate conflicts while asking us to forget some of its failed strategies and actions of the past, like its Yemen intervention or the murder of Jamal Khashoggi," said Joost Hiltermann, Middle East programme director for the International Crisis Group.

The 2018 slaying of Khashoggi, a Saudi columnist for The Washington Post, by Saudi agents in Turkey once threatened to isolate Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's de facto ruler. But the energy crisis produced by the Ukraine war elevated Saudi Arabia's global importance, helping to facilitate his rehabilitation.

Moving forward Riyadh "wants to be in the company of an India or a Brazil, because only as a club can these middle powers hope to have an impact on the world stage," Hiltermann added.

"Whether they will be able to agree on all things, such as the Ukraine war, is a big question."

'Balancing'

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, failing in its attempt to take Kyiv but seizing swathes of territory that Western-backed Ukrainian troops are fighting to recapture.

Beijing, which says it is a neutral party in the conflict but has been criticised by Western capitals for refusing to condemn Moscow, announced on Friday it would participate in the Jeddah talks. "China is willing to work with the international community to continue to play a constructive role in promoting a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis," said foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin.

India has also confirmed its attendance in Jeddah, describing the move as in line "with our longstanding position" that "dialogue and diplomacy is the way forward."

South Africa said it too will take part.

Saudi Arabia has backed UN Security Council resolutions denouncing Russia's invasion as well as its unilateral annexation of territory in eastern Ukraine.

Yet last year, Washington criticised oil production cuts approved in October, saying they amounted to "aligning with Russia" in the war.

This May, the kingdom hosted Zelensky at an Arab summit in Jeddah, where he accused some Arab leaders of turning "a blind eye" to the horrors of Russia's invasion.

In sum, Riyadh has adopted a "classic balancing strategy" that could soften Russia's response to this weekend's summit, said Umar Karim, an expert on Saudi politics at the University of Birmingham.

"They're working with the Russians on several files, so I guess Russia will deem such an initiative if not totally favourable then not unacceptable as well."

Saudi Arabia re-elected president of ALECSO’s executive council

 Saudi Arabia has been unanimously re-elected to chair the executive council of the Tunis-based Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization until 2024.

The decision was made by members of ALECSO’s executive council after the 26th session of the general conference, which concluded its activities on Saturday.

Council members expressed their appreciation for the positive results achieved and the complementary work of the executive council during the past 10 months.

They unanimously agreed on the importance of maintaining the council’s new and advanced vision and reiterated that the accomplishments represented an important shift in the council’s history toward strengthening its role in supporting the organization and its programs to serve its orientation in the Arab world, as it had worked on several initiatives that strengthened joint Arab action.

The decision to re-elect the Kingdom came after the appreciation of the general conference for the efforts made by the executive council under the Kingdom’s stewardship, which executed its tasks according to a clear methodology and spirit based on integrated work between the executive board and administration of ALECSO.

The Arab ministers praised the initiative of the Saudi representative and chairman of ALECSO’s executive council, Hani Al-Moqbil, to develop the council’s road map, which was put together with a transparent methodology based on the involvement of countries in building a common Arab vision to support and enable the organization to achieve its goals.

Al-Moqbil extended his appreciation to King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their constant support, empowerment, and care, which was reflected in the Saudi role and its presidency of the executive council to contribute to a beneficial impact and supportive action for the development of ALECSO.

He also thanked Culture Minister Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, who is also the chairman of the National Committee for Education, Culture, and Science, for his support, guidance, supervision, and harnessing of capabilities which gave direct and significant support throughout the Saudi presidency which helped it in serving its goals with all Arab countries.

Al-Moqbil also thanked the Arab countries and members of the ALECSO executive council for their re-election of the Kingdom and for renewing their confidence in the results that had been achieved during the past 10 months.

He added that this could only have been achieved through the spirit of teamwork and keenness to develop the organization’s activities and constructive participation in adopting decisions and organizing tracks of action to reach the best possible results to contribute to achieving the goals of the organization, and to promote building dialogue and cooperation thus serving the organization’s joint work among the countries.

Al-Moqbil said: “Saudi Arabia, in its presidency of the executive council, worked to oversee the interests of the countries by listening to their proposals, observations, and visions to ensure that they are reflected on the ground and implemented in stages. The countries will work with greater effort and higher interest in taking care of the organization’s interests.”

Wizz Air to explore opportunities in Saudi Arabia

 

The kingdom is seeking to increase its connectivity as part of its Vision 2030 economic transformation plan

Wizz Air, the eastern European discount carrier, signed a preliminary agreement with the kingdom’s Ministry of Investment to explore opportunities in Saudi Arabia.

The deal is said to allow the low-cost airline and Saudi to work together on potential investment and operating models to boost the country’s tourism industry and increase its connectivity.

“The [memorandum of understanding] reflects a shared vision between the parties on the potential Wizz Air could bring to the kingdom to stimulate new demand, thereby making a significant contribution to Saudi Arabia’s planned growth,” Wizz said in a statement on the London Stock Exchange.

“The parties will work together to enable potential investment and operating models to benefit and add to the Saudi Arabian aviation ecosystem, boosting its tourism industry and significantly increasing its connectivity.”

Saudi Arabia aims to generate 356 billion riyals — or just under $100bn — in investment into its aviation sector by 2030 as part of its Vision 2030 economic transformation plan.

The kingdom also plans to launch a new national airline to complement its existing national carriers, and to build a major new international airport in Riyadh, in addition to eight new regional airports.

Wizz already has a presence in the region in the form of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi — a joint venture with Abu Dhabi state holding company ADQ, which started operations in January 2021.

It doubled its capacity to four aircraft earlier this year as the UAE capital eased travel restrictions and said it was recruiting 100 workers in anticipation of an expected rebound in passenger traffic.

Last month, Saudi Arabia’s flynas approved plans to increase its aircraft order to 250, as it seeks to become the biggest low-cost airline in the Middle East.

Readmore:https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/2022/05/10/wizz-air-to-explore-opportunities-in-saudi-arabia/

Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Lebanon visits Tripoli to meet with religious leaders

 Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Lebanon visited Tripoli, the country’s second-largest city, on Thursday to meet with a raft of key religious figures.

The visit of Walid Bukhari to northern Lebanon comes only weeks after Riyadh reinstated its envoy to Beirut, another sign tensions are easing between the two capitals.

At a meeting with Tripoli’s acting mufti, Sheikh Mohammad Imam, Mr Bukhari highlighted “the depth of the relationship with Lebanon and its citizens”.

He also met with Joseph Soueif, the Maronite archbishop of Tripoli, and Ephraim Kyriakos, the archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Tripoli.

Lebanon’s state news agency reported Mr Bukhari’s visit was to exchange greetings during Ramadan and Easter.

The ambassador had met on Thursday with Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who is reportedly due to visit Saudi Arabia soon.

Earlier this month Mr Bukhari hosted an iftar with key Lebanese political figures and western ambassadors

Saudi Arabia was one of four Arab states that withdrew their ambassadors from Lebanon in October 2021 after remarks by George Kordahi, then Lebanon’s information minister, about the Saudi-led Arab coalition’s intervention in Yemen. Mr Kordahi later resigned.

Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states were once major donors to Lebanon, but relations gradually worsened amid the growing influence of Iran-backed Hezbollah.

After withdrawing its ambassador last year, Saudi Arabia accused Hezbollah of turning Lebanon into “a launching pad for implementing projects of countries that do not wish well for Lebanon and its brotherly people”.

To know more:https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/lebanon/2022/04/22/saudi-arabias-ambassador-to-lebanon-visits-tripoli-to-meet-with-religious-leaders/