Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah reiterated the Kingdom's emphasis on the need to preserve Lebanon's stability and respect its sovereignty, in accordance with international law and relevant Security Council resolutions. This aligns with international efforts aimed at establishing an immediate ceasefire, thus paving the way for a sustainable diplomatic settlement. He called on all parties to exercise wisdom and maximum restraint to spare the region and its people the dangers and tragedies of war.

In his address to the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the Foreign Minister stated: “The Kingdom affirms the necessity of taking practical and credible steps to reach a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue, based on international resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative. This solution must guarantee the right of the brotherly Palestinian people to establish their independent state within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. The Kingdom also reiterates its rejection and condemnation of all the heinous Israeli crimes committed against the brotherly Palestinian people. The recent crimes perpetrated against defenseless civilians in the Gaza Strip are but one chapter in the suffering of this brotherly people, whose ordeal has persisted for decades. Since last year, brutal Israeli practices have claimed the lives of tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians, mostly women and children, through systematic bombing, killing, destruction, and starvation, amidst a major humanitarian catastrophe that worsens daily. Based on our categorical rejection of this bitter reality and the imperative to take action to end it, the Kingdom hosted the Extraordinary Joint Arab and Islamic Summit in Riyadh on November 11.” In 2023, with the attendance of the leaders of the member states of the League of Arab States and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the summit issued resolutions that represent the will of all Arab and Islamic peoples, calling for an end to the bloodshed, the delivery of aid without restrictions, and the fulfillment of the legitimate demands of the brotherly Palestinian people to regain their occupied territories and establish their independent state.

Serious move towards recognizing the State of Palestine

The Foreign Minister added: “The Kingdom chaired the ministerial committee tasked by the extraordinary joint Arab-Islamic summit with visiting a number of countries to urge the international community to assume its responsibilities, stop the Israeli aggression, and protect civilians. In this context, the Kingdom welcomes the adoption by the United Nations General Assembly on May 10, 2024, of a resolution stating that the State of Palestine is eligible for full membership in the United Nations. It also welcomes the positive decisions taken by the Kingdom of Norway, the Kingdom of Spain, the Republic of Ireland, the Republic of Slovenia, and the Republic of Armenia in recognizing the sisterly State of Palestine, and calls on the remaining countries to proceed with bilateral recognition. Recognizing our shared responsibility to take serious action towards realizing the recognition of an independent Palestinian state, the Kingdom, along with its partners in the joint Arab-Islamic ministerial committee, the Kingdom of Norway, and the European Union, announced the launch of the International Coalition to Implement the Two-State Solution, and we call on everyone to join this coalition.”.

$5 billion in aid for Palestinians

The Foreign Minister explained, “The Kingdom has provided more than $5 billion in aid to the brotherly Palestinian people. Since the beginning of the current crisis in the Gaza Strip, the Kingdom, through the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, has provided relief and humanitarian assistance amounting to nearly $185 million. Agreements have been signed with a number of UN and international humanitarian organizations to implement humanitarian projects worth more than $106 million. The Kingdom will continue to support UNRWA to enable it to provide its relief services and supply food, medicine, and humanitarian needs to our Palestinian refugee brothers. The Kingdom’s total support to UNRWA has exceeded $1 billion. The Kingdom welcomes the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice regarding Israel’s policies and practices in the occupied Palestinian territories, and its confirmation of the illegality of the Israeli presence in the occupied Palestinian territories for the past 57 years. The Kingdom emphasizes the necessity of taking practical and credible steps to reach a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue based on international legitimacy resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative, which guarantees the right of the brotherly Palestinian people to establish their independent state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.”.

Israel's violations encourage it to escalate

Prince Faisal bin Farhan stated: “The absence of accountability and punishment, despite the continued Israeli violations of international law and international humanitarian law, encourages it to escalate. This escalation will not achieve security and stability for any party, and portends serious consequences, expanding the scope of violence and wars, and further threatening the security and stability of the region. The Kingdom emphasizes the need to preserve the stability of Lebanon and respect its sovereignty, in accordance with international law and relevant Security Council resolutions. It joins international efforts aimed at establishing an immediate ceasefire that would allow for reaching a sustainable diplomatic settlement. We also call on all parties to exercise wisdom and the utmost restraint to spare the region and its people the dangers and tragedies of wars.”.

The Foreign Minister pointed out that since its participation in the founding of the United Nations General Assembly, the Kingdom has been keen to exert every possible effort to translate the United Nations Charter into a tangible reality, by consolidating respect for international law, maintaining international peace and security, and supporting channels of multilateral international action in all fields.

In this context, the Kingdom actively participated in drafting the Future Charter adopted by world leaders this week. The Kingdom considers the Charter and the Future Summit an opportunity to reaffirm common principles, enhance cooperation to address challenges, achieve security and peace, and support sustainable development for future generations. The Kingdom is keen to activate the role of international financial institutions to ensure the continuation of economic recovery and reduce risks.

Restoration of relations with Iran and Syria

The Foreign Minister noted, “Our world today is witnessing many crises that have been exacerbated by merely managing these crises without finding practical solutions to address them. This is due to the laxity of effective international efforts and the selectivity in applying international law and international humanitarian law. This has resulted in the expansion of the circle of violence and conflicts and the threat to the principles of international legitimacy. This necessitates our commitment to the principles and foundations laid down by the Charter of the United Nations, and to serious and joint work to focus on long-term peaceful solutions that guarantee the protection of civilians, end fighting and wars, and provide security and development regionally and internationally. In light of the existing tensions between countries, the Kingdom adopts an approach of distancing itself from political polarization in the international community and seeks to promote dialogue, understanding, and rapprochement between countries in a way that enhances global security and peace.”.

The Foreign Minister stated: “The Kingdom has taken clear steps to promote de-escalation and development at the regional level, as an agreement was reached with the Islamic Republic of Iran to resume diplomatic relations between the two countries on the basis of respect for the sovereignty of states, non-interference in their internal affairs, and respect for the charters of the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which will positively reflect on consolidating security and stability, and advancing regional development and prosperity. We look forward to its cooperation with the international community regarding the nuclear program and ballistic missiles. The Kingdom has also resumed its diplomatic relations with the Syrian Arab Republic to enhance cooperation and coordination between the two brotherly countries on common issues, based on the Kingdom’s belief that resolving the Syrian crisis will contribute to the development and stability of the region, while emphasizing the importance of preserving Syria’s unity, security, stability, and territorial integrity, in a way that brings good to its brotherly people.”.

Alleviating the suffering in Yemen and strengthening Sudan

Prince Faisal bin Farhan stated that the Kingdom is keen on the return of peace to brotherly Yemen, and supports all efforts aimed at resolving the crisis and alleviating the humanitarian suffering of the brotherly Yemeni people, and pushing towards reaching political solutions to restore security and stability to Yemen and the region, and reaffirms its initiative to end the war in Yemen and reach a comprehensive political solution.

In light of the tensions in the Red Sea region that affect the security and safety of international shipping lanes and global trade, the Kingdom renews its call for wisdom and avoidance of escalation, and for strengthening joint efforts to maintain the security and stability of the Red Sea region.

Regarding the Sudanese issue, Prince Faisal bin Farhan stated that the Kingdom affirms its firm positions on preserving Sudan’s security, safety, and stability, the cohesion of the state and its institutions, preventing their collapse, and supporting it in confronting the developments and repercussions of the current crisis. The Kingdom hosted the Sudanese peace talks in Jeddah Governorate to emphasize the need for de-escalation, a halt to military operations, and the delivery of humanitarian and relief aid. Work is underway to resume the Jeddah 3 talks for this purpose.

The Kingdom affirms its commitment to the security, stability, and territorial integrity of Afghanistan, and that Afghanistan cannot live in isolation from its regional and international environment, especially in light of the danger posed by the continued presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan. We emphasize the importance of reducing the deterioration of the humanitarian, security, and economic conditions.

Regarding the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, he noted that the Kingdom renewed its call to end the crisis and reduce its negative effects and repercussions on the security and stability of the world. The Crown Prince, Prime Minister, made his good offices to release a number of prisoners of different nationalities. Last year, the Kingdom hosted a meeting of national security advisors and representatives of more than 40 countries and international organizations. The Kingdom affirms the need to exert all possible efforts to end the crisis and resolve disputes peacefully.

Empowering women and youth and achieving progress

The Foreign Minister added that the Kingdom, in line with its Vision 2030, aims to meet the aspirations of future generations, empower women and youth, foster creativity and innovation, entrench the values ​​of tolerance, and build bridges of communication with the world. Through its development approach, the Kingdom seeks to achieve a comprehensive and sustainable renaissance centered on human beings, preserving their rights, enhancing their dignity, and fulfilling their aspirations. In the energy sector, the Kingdom is committed to achieving a balance between three pillars: energy security, providing affordable energy for all, and mitigating the effects of climate change. The Kingdom is also committed to the stability, reliability, and sustainability of global oil markets.

$50 billion to combat climate change

Prince Faisal bin Farhan said: The Kingdom is committed to contributing to reducing the effects of climate change, through adopting a comprehensive approach to energy transitions based on a logical, organized and fair basis. In this regard, the Kingdom is working on building a carbon capture, transport and storage complex in Jubail Industrial City with a capture and storage capacity of up to 9 million tons of carbon dioxide per year by 2027, and a maximum capacity of up to 44 million tons per year by 2035. The Kingdom also supports the Sustainable Development Goals and international cooperation to address the challenges of climate change. At the Saudi-African Summit in Riyadh, the Kingdom announced the allocation of approximately $50 billion to support these efforts and launched several pioneering initiatives based on the circular carbon economy approach, such as the Saudi Green Initiative and the Middle East Green Initiative.

A world free of nuclear weapons and terrorism

The Foreign Minister stated that the Kingdom is keen to work towards achieving a world free of nuclear weapons and a stable Middle East. From this standpoint, the Kingdom stresses the need for all countries to adhere to the non-proliferation regime, while preserving the right of countries to the peaceful use of nuclear energy. The Kingdom also supports the efforts made to confront terrorist organizations, and we emphasize the importance of strengthening joint action and continuing coordination among international partners to confront the threat posed by these groups to our countries and peoples. We stress the need to exert more efforts to reduce the impact of the propaganda campaigns launched by terrorist groups.

Expo envisions the future of the planet

The Foreign Minister noted that the Kingdom gained the confidence of the international community by being chosen to host the World Expo 2030, in order to achieve the idea of ​​the Expo, which is to anticipate the future of the planet and useful technological developments, with a focus on the Sustainable Development Goals. The Expo represents an opportunity to promote work on projects with global impact, and to cooperate to find global solutions through innovation, sustainability and inclusivity.

The Kingdom’s speech was attended by the Ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to the United States of America, Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Multilateral International Affairs and General Supervisor of the Ministry’s Agency for Public Diplomacy Affairs, Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Rassi, the Kingdom’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, Ambassador Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Wasil, Ambassador Haitham Al-Maliki, and the Director General of the Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdulrahman Al-Dawood.