DAVOS: Ƶ’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan told the World Economic Forum on Wednesday that progress is being made on Yemen, but much work still needs to be done.
Prince Faisal called for a truce brought in last year in the country to be reinstated and said work must begin toward making the ceasefire permanent.
The conflict will end only “through a political settlement” and “negotiated solutions,” he said.
Speaking on the same panel, Hans Grundberg, the UNenvoy for Yemen, said that ending the war will “not be easy” and that mistrust remains.
However, he said that serious steps have been taken recently, and thanked Ƶ and other regional parties for their role in brokering last year’s truce.
Speaking on thepanel that discussed the changing face of the Middle East from “battleground to meeting place,” the Saudi foreignminister also said that the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 reform program is allowingthe economiesof the region as a whole to build and grow.
Prince Faisal (R) on the panel alongside Fuad Hussein (L), deputy prime minister and foreing minister of Iraq. (Screenshot/WEF)
Prince Faisal highlighted the fact that theKingdom’s economy will be the fastest growing this year, and that itwants to focus on dialogue and investment to boost neighboring regional economies.
“We seek solid and strong economies in the region, and we cooperate with all neighboring countries,” he said.
The Kingdom is excitedabout building sustainable economic growth not only for itself but also for the entire region, with “fewer slogans, more projects,” the minister said.
Prince Faisal saidthat he is optimistic about situation in the region, adding:“The Middle East has proven to be very much the meeting space of the world, in the intersection between the East and West.”
He added: “There’s a true spirit of cooperation building in the region, and it can be infectious, and also help to resolve the still existing conflicts in the region and beyond.”
However, referring to the Palestinian crisis, which he called the “biggest drag” on the region, Prince Faisal said he hoped the new government in Israel sees that it is in their interest to engage seriously with the Palestinians in order to resolvethe issue.
He said that Israel’s government is sending “some signals that maybe are not conducive to that,” but expressedhope it will work toward resolvingthe conflict in theinterests of the Palestinian peopleand the wider region.
Israelnormalizedtieswith the UAE, Bahrain and Moroccoin 2020, but Prince Faisal reiterated the position ofƵ on any suchmove by the Kingdom being linked to a resolution of Palestine’sstatehood goals.
