Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed calls for region to unite at Arab League summit in Jeddah

Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court said nations must work together to drive progress and end conflict

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court, called on the region to come together to ensure peace and prosperity, at the Arab League summit in Jeddah on Friday.

Sheikh Mansour stressed the need for co-operation between Arab nations to help drive development, state news agency Wam reported.

He congratulated Syria on its return to the Arab League, following a 12-year absence, and expressed his hope it would emerge from its current difficulties to achieve stability.

Sheikh Mansour, who has now left Jeddah after taking part in the summit, said that despite challenges facing the region, there was cause to be hopeful of resolutions to local conflicts.

He called on Sudan to overcome its political and humanitarian crisis through dialogue and compromise, thanking Saudi Arabia for its role in bringing about talks to help end the deadlock.

Sheikh Mansour appealed to Arab countries to bolster ties and strengthen economic and developmental collaborations.

He thanked Saudi Arabia's King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their hospitality and hosting of the gathering and offered his appreciation to Algeria for its work presiding over previous summits and commended the Secretariat General of the Arab League for its preparations.

Sheikh Mansour met a number of regional and international leaders in Jeddah, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Wam earlier reported that Sheikh Mansour and his delegation were greeted by Prince Badr bin Sultan, deputy governor of Makkah, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary General of the Arab League, and several senior officials on arrival in Saudi Arabia.

Sheikh Mansour held talks with Syrian President Bashar Al Assad on the sidelines of the summit.

They reviewed the strong ties between their nations, Wam reported.

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed meets Syrian President Bashar Al Assad

They also touched on the agenda of the key summit, as well as a number of issues of mutual interest.

Sheikh Mansour conveyed the greetings of President Sheikh Mohamed to Mr Al Assad and expressed his wish for peace and stability in Syria.

The Syrian leader made clear his gratitude to Sheikh Mohamed for the UAE's support of Syria and its role in facilitating its return to the Arab League.

The meeting was attended by accompanying delegations from both the UAE and Syria.

Sheikh Mansour is attending the summit on behalf of President Sheikh Mohamed. He leads a delegation of senior UAE officials.

Included in the delegation are Ali Al Shamsi, Deputy Secretary General of the Supreme National Security Council, Abdulla bin Touq, Minister of Economy, Sheikh Shakhbout bin Nahyan, Minister of State, Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Public Education and Future Technology, Khalifa Al Marar, Minister of State, Sheikh Nahyan bin Saif, UAE ambassador to Saudi Arabia, and Maryam Al Kaabi, UAE Ambassador to Egypt.

The summit gathered together representatives of 22 Arab League member states for annual talks.

They were expected to pass 32 draft resolutions as part of the Arab action plan for 2023, which will lay out regional priorities and how they plan to tackle them over the coming year.

Updated: May 19, 2023, 5:39 PM