Arab foreign ministers stressed Friday that the three Makkah-hosted summits carried clear messages to the Iranian regime that it needed to cease its violations and meddling in the Arab region.
They underlined their support for Saudi Arabia against any act of aggression or threat that could jeopardize the security and safety of the region.
United Arab Emirates State Minister for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash told Asharq Al-Awsat that Saudi Arabia’s chairing of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit “will lead to higher standings in wake of the very critical conditions the world is enduring.”
The OIC is one the largest global organizations, only second to the United Nations, he remarked.
“It represents the interests of the Islamic world and undoubtedly plays an important role in coordinating stances on regional affairs,” he added.
On Iran’s threats, he said: “Our main goal is to be clear. We have reached this point after the accumulation of Iran’s policy of meddling. According to the region, this meddling included its missile program and interference in the Arab world.”
“Despite all this, we are not seeking escalation, but a resolution to all of these violations and sending a clear message to Iran that direct or indirect meddling through proxies is unacceptable,” Gargash stated.
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi told Asharq Al-Awsat that he hoped that the Arab, Gulf and Islamic summits, which were hosted by Makkah on Thursday and Friday, would have delivered the message that the security and stability of this region were central to the entire world.
“Rational dialogue” was key to easing tensions, he said of the American-Iranian crisis and its impact on the region.
The dialogue must take into consideration the interests of countries and the importance of regional security, he added.
The current challenges demand all parties to work together to overcome them, he remarked, while underlining the importance of joint Arab and Islamic cooperation to achieve regional security and stability.
Saudi Arabia, Jordan and all other countries constantly seek the region’s security and stability, he stressed.
“Relations between regional countries must be based on the respect of sovereignty and non-intervention in their internal affairs,” continued the minister. “All problems can be resolved once these factors are respected.”
Yemen’s Foreign Minister Khaled al-Yemany told Asharq Al-Awsat that Saudi Arabia’s hosting of the three summits reflects the Kingdom’s major standing in leading the Islamic, Arab and Gulf worlds.
The very fact that the leaders of the Islamic, Arab and Gulf worlds flocked to the Kingdom is a message in and of itself, he stressed.
The summit sends important messages to Iran, calling on it to quit its expansionist and destabilizing policy, he added.
This is a message that must be understood by the Tehran government because “we will no longer tolerate Iran’s ongoing destabilizing behavior and its dispatching of militias to spread chaos in the region,” he declared.
“We do not tolerate terrorist acts that Iran is practicing,” he vowed.
