With an ambitious agenda, the 32nd Arab League Summit is a milestone that could impact the region and the world in many ways.
In addition to positive signals at some hot spots in the region, the Arab League entered the 32nd Summit held on May 19 in Saudi Arabia to find ways to resolve current tensions and conflicts in and outside the region. The appearance of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also surprised many people, creating a strange "phenomenon" at this conference.
From the above new developments, the question is: after the Arab League Summit, will the regional situation change?
Syria reconstruction begins
Syria returned to the Arab League for the first time in 12 years, at a time when the country was still in the process of resolving its political crisis and had just begun to address the humanitarian crisis following the earthquake that occurred in early 2023. President Bashar al-Assad's active diplomatic activities and the proactive arrangement of influential countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) helped Syria receive a relatively warm welcome at this Summit.
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| Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (Source: Reuters) |
Regarding Syria, the Arab League advocates stepping up efforts to help the country escape the crisis and end the suffering of people in affected areas. However, Al-Jazeera newspaper said that this process will not begin in the short term, because US sanctions will remain an obstacle. In a commentary, the newspaper said that the US Caesar Act is currently the biggest obstacle preventing Arab countries from investing in Syria.
Experts say that this issue needs to be resolved through concrete actions by the government of President Bashar al-Assad. Once the political crisis in Syria is resolved, there will be more positive signals from the Washington administration to lift sanctions. Saudi Arabia and the UAE also believe that there will come a time when they can invest money in Syria, expanding their network to increase their geopolitical influence over this country.
Stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict
Besides the reappearance of Syria, the participation of Ukraine is also a strange sign at this Arab League Summit. In the context of the Russia-Ukraine conflict still being a hot issue for the world, the Arab League chose a neutral stance, maintaining a certain relationship with the Moscow government.
This is the result of the foreign policy that Saudi Arabia has been pursuing recently. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is trying to mediate in the same spirit that China did when it reconciled Saudi Arabia and Iran. The Arab League summit is considered a good opportunity for Saudi Arabia to play this role.
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| Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky makes his first visit to Saudi Arabia. (Source: Reuters) |
However, bringing two countries in conflict like Russia and Ukraine together is much more difficult than reconciling Saudi Arabia and Iran - two countries that are both looking for valuable opportunities to increase contacts in the region. Therefore, President Zelensky's presence at this Summit is less beneficial for the Arab League and more beneficial for the Ukrainian president.
Kiev is currently appealing for international support in its reconstruction efforts. Earlier, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister visited Kuwait on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, with the main focus on humanitarian assistance.
New economic development
Some countries in the region such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have begun to research and seek directions to develop new economic models suitable for the world situation and future trends. The oil economies are no longer in their heyday and this is the most appropriate time for the Arab region in general and the Gulf region in particular to think about green economies and circular economies.
The Green Middle East Initiative, launched in 2021 to help countries in the region develop major programs and plans to serve the economy, has entered its second year.
However, specific activities have not been implemented due to the effects of the global economic crisis, which has just emerged from the pandemic period. In particular, in some countries such as Lebanon, inflation has caused prices to rise, greatly affecting macroeconomic development as well as people's lives.
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| Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman speaks at a meeting of the Green Middle East Initiative. (Source: Saudi News Agency) |
WIONews researcher Rajeev Argawal believes that the Arab League Summit is a good opportunity for these countries to receive more support in developing new and more friendly economic models. Some important projects may be announced and implemented after this summit.
With the upcoming COP28 conference being held in the UAE, this is also a good opportunity for countries to discuss at multilateral sessions and individual engagements what could be discussed at that important event.
More observers, more visibility
In the Arab region, some countries that have not become members of the Arab League include two influential countries, Iran and Türkiye. These two countries, in terms of status, are considered larger, more prominent and stronger, and therefore cannot be ignored in the integration process of the Arab League.
Therefore, one idea that could emerge from this conference is to start a gradual process of bringing Iran and Türkiye into the League as observers or dialogue partners. This would help to reduce the security threat from Iran and Turkey themselves.
In fact, while Iran is still open to the possibility of restarting its nuclear program, the activities of the Turkish military on the Syrian border also bring many worries to the League. Currently, the countries that play the role of observers of the League only include Brazil, Eritrea, India and Venezuela.
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| The 2023 Arab League Summit took place in a positive atmosphere. (Source: AFP) |
Taking place at the same time as other G7 and Central Asian summits, the Arab League shows that it is not inferior in its role on the international stage.
In fact, when major countries have been dealing with geopolitical conflicts in recent times, the League members have proactively sought regional solutions to resolve conflicts and ensure security and stability in the region. A specific example is that after fighting broke out in Sudan, Saudi Arabia played a relief role, bringing people from many countries out of the conflict zone to safety and returning them to many Arab countries and around the world.
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