Minister of Foreign Affairs Participates in 155th Session of Arab Foreign Ministers
His Excellency the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation, and Mauritanians Abroad, Mr. Ismail Ould Sheikh Ahmed, participated in the work of the 155th session of the Arab Foreign Ministers, held today in the Egyptian capital, Cairo.
On this occasion, His Excellency the Minister delivered a speech in which he emphasized the importance of giving an impetus to the joint Arab action to ensure progress, stability, and development for the Arab peoples.
He stressed the centrality of the Palestinian issue and our country’s adherence to a solution that guarantees the right of the Palestinian people to obtain an independent state with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
In his speech, His Excellency the Minister welcomed the agreement concluded by the Libyan brothers in Geneva allowing to reach a peaceful solution for Libya’s conflict, and called on Arabs to close ranks to overcome the challenges facing the nation, including the catastrophic COVID-19 pandemic.
Here is the full text of that speech:
“Your Highness Brother Sheikh Mohamed Abderrahmane Al Thani, Vice-President of the Council of Ministers, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the brotherly State of Qatar, Chairman of this session;
Their Highnesses and Excellencies the Ministers,
Excellency the Secretary General of the League of Arab States,
Excellencies, the ambassadors;
May Allah’s peace, mercy, and blessing be upon you.
Allow me, first of all, to extend my warmest thanks and my deepest gratitude to my brother His Excellency the Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Sameh Choukri, for the valuable efforts made for the successful organization of the work of the previous session.
I also thank His Excellency the Secretary General of the League of Arab States, Mr. Ahmed Abou Elgheit for the constant efforts in favor of improving Arab action and major Arab causes.
In the same vein, I extend my congratulations to His Highness Brother Sheikh Mohamed Abderrahmane Al Thani, Vice-President of the Council of Ministers, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar for the conduct of the work of this session of the Council of the League at the ministerial level and wish him every success.
Highnesses, Excellencies,
This session is being held in an exceptional context, which humanity has never known before in the contemporary period. It is a context marked by the spread of COVID-19, which has greatly impacted the economies of our countries and the livelihoods of our peoples. For us, this implies a synergy of efforts to limit the economic and social consequences born of the pandemic. Among the main challenges it raises is that of pooling efforts and establishing effective coordination between our countries so that all citizens of the Arab States have access to vaccines. We should also work to stimulate the exchange of experiences and expertise to stem the spread of this dangerous pandemic.
On this basis, it is important for me here, in this session, to ask the General Secretariat to develop an Arab strategy for the acquisition of anti-covid vaccines to make them available in all Arab countries in addition to international initiatives such as COVAX and others.
Highnesses, Excellencies;
The reform of the Arab League is today considered as an important issue imposed by the mechanisms of common Arab action and the nature of pending cases at the level of the League, which require responses adapted to developments and to foresee a reform through a common vision which consecrates the adherence of the Member States to a reform process guaranteeing the continuity of the mission of our organization with the professionalism and flexibility required by the current global context and the present reality of the Arab world.
Highnesses, Excellencies;
Ladies and gentlemen;
Support for the Palestinian cause is one of the fundamentals and main pillars of the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.
It is a great opportunity for me to reaffirm, here, the constant position of our country vis-à-vis the Palestinian question and the right of the Palestinian people to the establishment of an independent state on the borders of June 1967, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, in accordance with the relevant international resolutions.
Highnesses, Excellencies;
Ladies and gentlemen;
I seize this opportunity to reaffirm before you our support for all shared and constant Arab positions regarding all issues of common interest and all positions consistent with international standards and to which we adhere at regional and international levels.
I reiterate here our commitment to realistic, equitable, and just political solutions to all regional crises, particularly in some of our countries such as Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon; to preserve the sovereignty of these States and to guarantee all the rights of their peoples, in particular the right to live in security, stability, freedom, and progress.
I welcome the results of the recent Libyan political dialogue in Geneva, which nurture the hope that they will contribute to the end of the crisis and help the Libyans close their ranks, which remain a prerequisite for the realization of the aspirations of the brotherly Libyan people by organizing free and transparent elections before the end of the current year.
Finally, I would like to stress the importance of the various subjects on the agenda of our present session and I am sure of our will and our determination to remove all obstacles on the way to common Arab action and the interest of our countries.
Thank you”.
On the sidelines of the session, the minister had talks with several personalities including:
Prince Fayçal Ben Farhan Al Saoud, Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Neziha El Wavi, Minister Delegate in charge of Moroccans living abroad, Mr. Othman Jerandi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration, and Tunisians Abroad, Mr. Mohamed Taha Eyal, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in the Libyan Government, and Mr. Khalifa Shaheen al-Mor, Minister of State in the United Arab Emirates.