The historic agreement normalizing relations between Israel and the
United Arab Emirates (UAE) should boost efforts towards achieving
regional peace and a brighter future for generations to come, the
UAE’s Foreign Affairs Minister told the UN General Assembly in a
pre-recorded speech broadcast on Tuesday.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan highlighted his country’s
diplomatic efforts which affirmed rejection of any annexation of
Palestinian territory, as well as its staunch support for a
two-State solution in the Middle East.
“With the signing of a historic peace accord with Israel,
supported by American efforts, my country was able to freeze the
annexation decision and opened broad prospects to achieve a
comprehensive peace in the region,” he said, referring to the
agreement brokered in August.
“We hope this peace accord will provide the opportunity for the
Palestinians and the Israelis to re-engage in negotiations to
achieve peace. Our position towards supporting the Palestinian
people and achieving the two-state solution is firm.”
Sheikh Abdullah added that the UAE will strive to ensure that the
peace deal also “will open new intellectual horizons in the
region and create a prosperous path for future generations who
deserve a stable region and a better reality than wars and
poverty.”
A critical turning point
Tuesday marks the final day of the annual high-level debate in
the General Assembly Hall at UN Headquarters in New York.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Heads of
State and Government, or their representatives, pre-recorded
their speeches which were broadcast on giant screens in the
chamber.
The global crisis is unfolding in the year the UN celebrates its
75th anniversary, and Sheikh Abdullah urged world leaders to
seize this “critical turning point” to “transform challenges into
great opportunities” through coordinated international response
and wise leadership.
“One starting point should be continuing to focus on solving
existing political crises and preventing new conflicts from
emerging, especially during the spread of the pandemic,” he
recommended.
Reject interference in state affairs
The Foreign Minister said solving crises, especially in the Arab
region, requires taking what he described as “a unified
international position” that rejects violation of state
sovereignty and foreign interference in internal affairs, and
which seeks UN-led political solutions while also addressing
threats posed by terrorist groups such as the Houthis, Da’esh,
al-Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood.
“The tensions in Yemen, Syria, Libya, Iraq and other states are
all related to blatant interference in Arab affairs made by
states that incite strife and discord, or that have historical
delusions of restoring their domination and colonial rule over
the Arab region and the Horn of Africa. The result has been
brutal wars,” he said.
“In this context, we recall our firm position of rejecting
regional interference in Arab affairs, and request full respect
for sovereignty, which is fully consistent with international law
and international norms.”
Sheikh Abdullah further underscored the need to maintain progress
achieved against the extremist group Da’esh, also known as ISIL,
in Syria and Iraq. This requires ongoing efforts to rebuild
liberated areas, strengthen the rule of law, and protect
communities against extremism and terrorism, he said.
“Support and economic assistance should also be provided to
Sudan,” he continued.
“It is also important to prevent any interference in Sudan’s
internal affairs and to stop extremist groups from exploiting the
situation and threaten the security of the Sudan and its
neighboring states.”
Full statement available
here
