RIYADH - Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud - may God protect him - affirmed the Kingdom’s permanent commitment to the principles and resolutions of international legitimacy, respect for the national sovereignty of all countries, non-interference in the internal affairs of countries, as well as the importance of making the Middle East region free of all weapons of destruction. comprehensive, and its continuation in confronting extremist ideology based on hatred and exclusion, and the practices of terrorist groups and sectarian militias that destroy people and homelands.

In the Kingdom’s speech delivered today, Wednesday, Safar 15, 1443 AH, corresponding to September 22, 2021 AD, via video link, in front of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, he reiterated the Kingdom’s keenness on the recovery of the global economy, which is reflected in the efforts The leadership it exerted, in cooperation with its partners in the OPEC Plus alliance, and within the framework of the Group of Twenty, to confront the severe effects that resulted from the Corona pandemic, in order to enhance the stability, balance and supplies of global oil markets, in a manner that preserves the interests of producers and consumers.

Below is the text of the speech:

In the name of God, the most gracious, the most merciful

Their Majesties, Excellencies, Highnesses and Excellencies,

Honorable President of the United Nations General Assembly

His Excellency the Secretary-General of the United Nations

Ladies and Gentlemen

Peace, mercy and blessings of God:

At the outset, we would like to congratulate His Excellency Mr. Abdullah Shahid, on his election as President of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly, wishing him success in discharging his duties.

I also extend my thanks to His Excellency Mr. Volkan Bozkir for his efforts during his presidency of the previous session. I congratulate His Excellency the Secretary-General of the United Nations on his reappointment for a second term in his position, praising the distinguished work he is doing to raise the efficiency of the United Nations institutions, in order to achieve the objectives of its charter.

Mr president,

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the founding members of the United Nations, and since its signing of the San Francisco Charter, it has been committed to its purposes and principles, which aim to maintain international peace and security, peaceful conflict resolution, respect for sovereignty and independence, and non-interference in the internal affairs of states. The challenges facing the international community today require the strengthening of international multilateral cooperation. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that the path to sustainable recovery depends on all of us working together in a collective framework. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia played a vital role in leading the global response to this pandemic through its presidency of the Group of Twenty last year, and the Kingdom supported global efforts to confront this pandemic with an amount of $500 million, in addition to providing $300 million to assist countries’ efforts to address the pandemic.

Despite the economic difficulties, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia continues to be committed to its great humanitarian and development role in helping the most needy countries and those affected by natural disasters and humanitarian crises. It is the largest donor of humanitarian and development aid at the Arab and Islamic levels during 2021, and one of the three largest donors at the international level.

The Kingdom is keen on the recovery of the global economy, which is reflected in the pioneering efforts it has made, in cooperation with its partners in the OPEC Plus alliance, and within the framework of the Group of Twenty, to confront the severe effects that resulted from the Corona pandemic, in order to enhance the stability, balance and supplies of global oil markets, in a manner that preserves interests of producers and consumers.

Mr president,

The Kingdom realizes the importance of concerted efforts in order to face the common challenge posed by climate change and its negative effects. From this standpoint, the Kingdom has presented qualitative initiatives of interest to the region and the world, most notably the green Saudi initiatives, the green Middle East, and the circular carbon economy, which would make an effective and influential contribution to achieving international goals in this field.

The essence of the 2030 vision adopted by the Kingdom is to achieve prosperity and create a better future, so that our economy is a pioneer, and our society interacts with all the world, and we have made great strides, during the five years since the launch of this ambitious vision, in supporting local industries, developing infrastructure, and communication technologies, and energy solutions, investment in several sectors, in addition to empowering women and youth, and improving the quality of life for all.

From this standpoint, the Kingdom’s foreign policy attaches utmost importance to consolidating security and stability, supporting dialogue and peaceful solutions, and providing conditions that support development and achieve people’s aspirations for a better tomorrow, in the Middle East and in the world at large. This is reflected in the Kingdom’s efforts to sponsor an agreement between the members of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, our active contribution to the Group of Friends of Sudan, and our support for Iraq in its efforts to restore its health and prestige. The Kingdom also strongly supports efforts aimed at a binding peaceful solution to the problem of the Renaissance Dam in a manner that preserves the water rights of Egypt and Sudan, and peaceful solutions under the auspices of the United Nations to the crises in Libya and Syria, and all efforts aimed at achieving peace and stability in Afghanistan, and the aspirations of the Afghan people and guaranteeing their rights of all spectrums.

Mr president,

We affirm that peace is the strategic option for the Middle East region, through a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue on the basis of international legitimacy resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative, in a way that guarantees the right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The peace initiative in Yemen, which was presented by the Kingdom last March, is capable of ending the conflict, sparing blood and putting an end to the suffering of the brotherly Yemeni people. Unfortunately, the Houthi terrorist militias still refuse peaceful solutions, and are betting on the military option to control more lands in Yemen, and attack on a daily basis. on civilian objects inside the Kingdom, and threaten international navigation and international energy supplies. The Houthi militias use the suffering of the Yemeni people, their urgent need for humanitarian assistance, and the dangers resulting from the deterioration of the Safer tanker, as bargaining chips and blackmail.

Mr president

The Kingdom always adheres to the principles and resolutions of international legitimacy, respects the national sovereignty of all countries, and emphasizes non-interference in the internal affairs of countries. The Kingdom reserves its legitimate right to defend itself in the face of attacks by ballistic missiles, drones and booby-trapped boats, and categorically rejects any attempts to interfere in its internal affairs.

Iran is a neighboring country, and we hope that our initial talks with it will lead to tangible results to build confidence and pave the way for achieving the aspirations of our peoples in establishing cooperative relations based on adherence to the principles and resolutions of international legitimacy, respect for sovereignty, non-interference in internal affairs, and their cessation of all forms of support for terrorist groups and sectarian militias that It brought nothing but war, destruction and suffering to all the peoples of the region.

The Kingdom stresses the importance of making the Middle East region free of all weapons of mass destruction. From this standpoint, the Kingdom supports international efforts aimed at preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, and expresses its deep concern over Iranian steps that contradict its commitments and contradict what Iran has always declared that its nuclear program is peaceful.

The Kingdom continues to confront extremist ideology based on hatred and exclusion, and the practices of terrorist groups and sectarian militias that destroy people and nations. The Kingdom stresses the importance of the international community standing firm before everyone who supports, sponsors, finances and harbors terrorist groups and sectarian militias or uses them as a means to spread chaos and destruction and extend hegemony and influence.

Peace, mercy and blessings of God.