Cairo, April 15 (Xinhua) -- The six member states of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) and the foreign ministers of Egypt, Iraq and Jordan met in the western port city of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia on 14 April to reach consensus on the Syrian crisis, stressing "the importance of the Arab world playing a leading role in efforts to end the crisis" and agreeing to strengthen consultations to ensure the success of these efforts.
Recently, many countries in the Middle East have moved towards reconciliation: Saudi Arabia and Iran have resumed diplomatic relations, the Syrian foreign minister has visited Saudi Arabia for the first time in 12 years, there have been positive developments in the peace process in Yemen, Qatar and Bahrain have decided to resume diplomatic relations, Turkey and Egypt have improved bilateral relations... Analysts pointed out that under the impetus of China and other international positive forces, countries in the Middle East seek development and cooperation, strengthen strategic autonomy, and the pattern of the Middle East is undergoing profound adjustments.
This is the sunset photographed on March 8, 2023 on the seafront in Latakia, Syria. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Amar Safar Jalani)
Acts of reconciliation are frequent
With the support of the Chinese side, the representatives of the two countries held a dialogue in Beijing from March 6 to 10 this year, and the three sides signed and issued a joint statement, announcing that the two sides agreed to restore diplomatic relations and reach the "Beijing Agreement". On April 6, the foreign ministers of the two countries signed a joint statement in Beijing, announcing the resumption of diplomatic relations with immediate effect. The Shai Fu has brought great good news to the world, and the international community has been overwhelmed by the series of consequent progress in reconciliation among Middle Eastern countries.
Iranian officials confirmed on the 3rd of this month that President Raisi has accepted the invitation of Saudi King Salman and will visit Saudi Arabia. On the 12th, the Iranian delegation arrived in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, to prepare for the reopening of the embassy and consulates. The Saudi delegation arrived in Tehran, the capital of Iran, on the 8th.
There have also been positive developments in the peace process in Yemen. On the 6th of this month, senior Yemeni government officials held talks with Saudi Defense Minister Khaled bin Salman in Riyadh. On the 9th, senior Houthi armed officials Mehdi Massat met with the Saudi delegation in Sana'a. The Yemeni government and the Houthis began a three-day large-scale prisoner exchange operation on the 14th.
Syrian Foreign Minister Meqdad arrived in the western Saudi port city of Jeddah on the 12th to visit Saudi Arabia and meet with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal. This is the first visit by a Syrian foreign minister to Saudi Arabia since the outbreak of the Syrian crisis in 2011. The Saudi side reportedly plans to invite Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to a summit of the League of Arab States to be hosted by Saudi Arabia in May.
Also on the 12th, Qatar and Bahrain decided to resume diplomatic relations between the two countries. Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu said on the 13th that Turkey and Egypt agreed to improve bilateral relations and restore diplomatic relations between the two countries to the ambassadorial level.
People dance during a ceremony welcoming prisoners of war at Sana'a airport, Yemen, April 15, 2023. The Yemeni government and the Houthis began a massive prisoner exchange operation on April 14, with both sides releasing a total of more than 880 prisoners of war. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Mohammed Mohammed)
Strategic autonomy strengthened
Analysts believe that the increasing emphasis on development is an important factor in the reconciliation of Middle Eastern countries. The new crown epidemic, the Ukraine crisis, the Federal Reserve's continuous interest rate hikes and other factors have led to capital outflows, currency depreciation and inflation in many countries in the Middle East, which has prompted these countries to focus more on development, and development must have a stable and peaceful surrounding environment, so the diplomatic strategy of getting rid of US control, easing and strengthening cooperation with neighboring countries has increasingly become the consensus in the region.
Saudi international experts Abdul Aziz Shabani believes that the fundamental reason for the resumption of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran and other reconciliation progress in the Middle East is that the pursuit of peace and development has become the consensus of most countries in the region. The need for development of all countries has made it imperative to create a peaceful and stable environment in the region, and the diplomatic and strategic autonomy of countries is increasing.
Nimrod Goren, director of Israel's Institute for Regional Foreign Policy, said that many Middle Eastern countries are becoming more connected due to concerns about many challenges such as food security, energy supply and climate change, and prefer to solve domestic problems through more regional cooperation.
Some Middle East analysts pointed out that the Middle East has formed a trend of "development leading diplomacy", and in the future, more and more countries will mainly start from their own development needs when formulating policies, and will not fight and take sides as before. Uniting to cope with the crisis and tide over the difficulties has been recognized by more and more leaders in the Middle East.
In November 2022, the Arab League summit returned after a three-year hiatus. Under the slogan of "solidarity", the summit agreed on the strengthening of joint action and modernization of the Arab world, opposed all interference in the internal affairs of Arab countries, and insisted that Arab problems should be resolved by the Arabs themselves. Since the beginning of this year, the multi-pair bilateral relations in the Middle East have moved towards "breaking the ice", and a number of long-term hot issues have continued to cool down, which shows that the trend towards reconciliation and unity has become a geopolitical trend in the Middle East.
Participants pose for a group photo before attending the 31st Summit Council of the League of Arab States in Algiers, Algeria, November 1, 2022. Xinhua News Agency (Photo courtesy of the Algerian Presidential Palace)
"Look east" becomes a priority
On March 10, Saudi Arabia and Iran reached an agreement in Beijing, and China and Iran signed and issued a joint statement announcing that Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to restore diplomatic relations. China's positive role and ability to promote peace have been widely appreciated by the international community.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued a statement thanking China for its efforts to promote dialogue between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The Arab Parliament issued a statement saying that the agreement will not only help restore stability in the Middle East region and work to resolve outstanding crises, but also help maintain peace and security for the people of the world.
Analysts pointed out that in today's world, chaos is intertwined, and human society is facing unprecedented challenges. Against this historical background, promoting the Shai-Iran handshake and peace is a wonderful practice of China in advocating global security initiatives and building a community with a shared future for mankind, providing an important demonstration for all countries in the world to resolve conflicts through dialogue and consultation.
Saudi Arabia's international experts said that China, as a responsible major country, has provided broader space and more creative ideas for the development aspirations of regional countries.
Tonchi Akkochi, head of a media agency in Turkey, said that most Middle Eastern countries are looking for more reliable partners, and "looking east" is the choice of many Middle Eastern countries. Akkozy also said that the hegemonism pursued by the United States has always had a negative impact on the Middle East and other parts of the world, resulting in many destabilizing factors. "The Middle East without the United States could be a more united, stable, and thriving Middle East."
A policy report entitled "The Middle East: From a Decade of Conflict to the Era of Reconciliation" by the Qatari Al Jazeera Research Centre found that regional power is undergoing a major realignment and the regional order is no longer subject to U.S. manipulation. Iran's Mehr News Agency also published an article emphasizing that there are signs that "the era of unilateralism is ending, and a new world and world order are taking shape." (Xinhua News Agency reporters Chen Mengyang and Wang Zhuolun; Participating reporters Hu Guan, Wang Feng, Fan Shuaishuai)