Xinhua News Agency, Cairo, April 15th(International Observation) Consensus Expands on Reconciliation and Peaceful Development in the Middle East
Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Mengyang Wang Zhuolun
The foreign ministers of the six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan met in Jeddah, the western port city of Saudi Arabia on the 14th, and reached a consensus on the Syrian crisis, emphasizing that “the Arab world is in the process of ending the crisis.” the importance of leadership” and agreed to intensify consultations to ensure the success of these efforts.
Recently, many countries in the Middle East have moved toward reconciliation: Saudi Arabia and Iran resumed diplomatic relations, the Syrian foreign minister visited Saudi Arabia for the first time in 12 years, the Yemen peace process made positive progress, Qatar and Bahrain decided to resume diplomatic relations, and Turkey and Egypt improved bilateral relations… Analysts pointed out that, Driven by positive international forces such as China, countries in the Middle East are seeking development and cooperation, and strengthening strategic autonomy, and the pattern of the Middle East is undergoing profound adjustments.
Reconciliation moves are frequent
With the support of China, representatives of Saudi Arabia and Iran held a dialogue in Beijing from March 6 to 10 this year. The three parties signed and issued a joint statement, announcing that Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to restore diplomatic relations and reached the “Beijing Agreement.” On April 6, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Iraq signed a joint statement in Beijing, announcing the restoration of diplomatic relations with immediate effect. Shay’s return to the world has brought great good news, and the ensuing reconciliation progress of a series of Middle Eastern countries has made the international community dizzy.
Iranian officials confirmed on the 3rd of this month that President Rahim has accepted the invitation of King Salman of Saudi Arabia and will visit Saudi Arabia. On the 12th, the Iranian delegation arrived in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, to prepare for the reopening of the embassy and consulate. The Saudi delegation arrived in Tehran, the capital of Iran, on the 8th.
There have also been positive developments in the Yemeni peace process. On the 6th of this month, senior officials of the Yemeni government held talks with Saudi Defense Minister Khaled bin Salman in Riyadh. On the 9th, Mehdi Mashat, a senior official of the Houthi armed forces, met with the Saudi delegation in Sanaa. On the 14th, the Yemeni government and the Houthi armed forces began a large-scale prisoner exchange operation that lasted for three days.
Syrian Foreign Minister Mekdad arrived in the western Saudi port city of Jeddah on the 12th to visit Saudi Arabia and meet with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal. This is the first visit to Saudi Arabia by a Syrian foreign minister since the outbreak of the Syrian crisis in 2011. Saudi Arabia is reportedly planning to invite Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to a summit of the League of Arab States to be hosted by Saudi Arabia in May.
Also on the 12th, Qatar and Bahrain decided to resume diplomatic relations between the two countries. Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu said on the 13th that Turkey and Egypt agreed to improve bilateral relations and restore diplomatic relations between the two countries to the ambassadorial level.
Enhanced strategic autonomy
Analysts believe that the increasing emphasis on development is an important factor in the reconciliation of Middle Eastern countries. Factors such as the new crown epidemic, the Ukraine crisis, and the Fed’s continuous interest rate hikes have led to capital outflows from many countries in the Middle East, depreciation of their currencies, and increased inflation. This has prompted these countries to focus more on development, and development must have a stable and peaceful surrounding environment. And the diplomatic strategy of strengthening cooperation with neighboring countries has increasingly become a consensus in the region.
Abdul Aziz Shabani, a Saudi expert on international issues, believes that the fundamental reason for the resumption of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran and other reconciliation progress in the Middle East is that the pursuit of peace and development has become the consensus of most countries in the region. The needs of all countries for development make it a top priority to create a peaceful and stable environment in the region, and the autonomy of countries’ diplomatic strategies is constantly increasing.
Nimrod Goren, director of Israel’s Regional Foreign Policy Institute, said many Middle Eastern countries are becoming more connected and tend to be more connected due to concerns about challenges such as food security, energy supply and climate change. In many places, regional cooperation is used to solve domestic problems.
Some analysts in the Middle East pointed out that the Middle East has formed a trend of “development leads diplomacy”. In the future, more and more countries will mainly start from their own development needs when formulating policies, and will not confront and stand in line as before. Uniting together to deal with the crisis and tide over the difficulties has been recognized by more and more leaders of countries in the Middle East.
In November 2022, the summit of the Arab League will return after three years. With the slogan of “unity”, the summit reached an agreement on strengthening common action and realizing modernization in the Arab world, opposed all practices of interfering in the internal affairs of Arab countries, and insisted that the problems of Arab countries should be resolved by the Arabs themselves. Since the beginning of this year, many bilateral relations in the Middle East have been “breaking the ice”, and many long-term hot issues have continued to cool down, which further shows that moving towards reconciliation and unity is a geopolitical trend in the Middle East.
“Looking East” has become a priority
On March 10, Saudi Arabia and Iran reached the Beijing Agreement, and the three parties signed and issued a joint statement, announcing that Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to resume diplomatic relations. China’s positive role and ability to promote peace have been widely appreciated by the international community.
UN Secretary-General Guterres issued a statement expressing his gratitude to China for its efforts to promote dialogue between Shah and Iran. The Arab parliament issued a statement saying that the agreement will not only help restore stability in the Middle East and work to resolve outstanding crises, but also help maintain peace and security for people all over the world.
Analysts pointed out that today’s world is full of chaos and human society is facing unprecedented challenges. Against such a historical background, pushing Shah and Iran to shake hands and make peace is a wonderful practice of China in advocating global security initiatives and building a community with a shared future for mankind. It provides an important example for countries around the world to resolve conflicts through dialogue and negotiation.
Shabani, an expert on international affairs in Saudi Arabia, said that China, as a responsible major country, has provided broader space and more creative ideas for the development aspirations of regional countries.
Tonchi Akkoci, head of a Turkish media agency, said that most Middle Eastern countries are looking for more reliable partners, and “looking east” is the choice of many Middle Eastern countries. Akkoch also said that the hegemony pursued by the United States has always had a negative impact on the Middle East and other parts of the world, creating many unstable factors. “A Middle East without the United States may be a more united, stable and prosperous Middle East.”
A policy report titled “Middle East: From a Decade of Conflict to an Era of Reconciliation” by the Al Jazeera Research Center in Qatar pointed out that major adjustments are taking place in regional power and that the regional order is no longer manipulated by the United States. Iran’s Mehr News Agency also published an article emphasizing that there are signs that “the era of unilateralism is ending and a new world and world order are taking shape.” (Participating reporters Hu Guan, Wang Feng, Fan Shuaishuai)