Ahmed Murad (Al Ittihad)
The year 2022 witnessed great diplomatic momentum during which the UAE, the Gulf, Arab and African countries played a prominent role in the regional and international arena, which was evident during the work of several influential summits held throughout the year, and it is expected that they will have positive repercussions in the new year 2023.
The “Twenty” Summit… A prominent Emirati presence
In the presence of a prominent and distinguished Emirati, on November 15, 2022, the G20 Summit was held in the Indonesian city of Bali. Digital technology and the transition to sustainable energy, which are the same priorities included in the plans and strategies of the UAE for the next fifty years.
The Ukrainian crisis topped the list of issues dealt with by the G-20 summit, which was evident in the summit’s closing statement, which considered that the conflict in Ukraine undermines the global economy. The countries of the group that includes the twenty largest global economies, including Russia, also agreed that the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is not permitted.
In the economic field, the closing statement of the summit called on member states to take temporary measures and set specific targets to help provide energy to countries most affected by rising prices. In the climate file, the G20 countries agreed to seek to limit the rise in global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The UAE’s participation in the G20 summit was distinguished and exceptional, given the important and prominent role the UAE plays in facing global challenges, which made it one of 4 countries that were invited to the summit, knowing that it is the UAE’s second participation in the G20 summit meetings after the first participation in the summit that Chaired by Saudi Arabia in 2020.
During his participation in the main session of the seventeenth summit of the heads of state and government of the Group of Twenty, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, may God protect him, affirmed the UAE’s commitment to its responsible role in energy markets and its pioneering agenda in the clean energy sector, indicating that the UAE embodied This commitment is through $50 billion in clean energy investments in more than 40 countries around the world. It also established the “Crimea Climate Alliance” in partnership with Indonesia, in addition to launching an initiative that works to accelerate the transition of developing countries towards sustainable energy, in cooperation with the International Renewable Energy Agency.
The African-American summit
Over a period of three days, from December 13 to 16, 2022, the African-American summit called for by US President Joe Biden, 49 African heads of state, continued in the American capital, Washington, in the largest diplomatic gathering the United States has witnessed since the Corona pandemic. The summit posed a difficult challenge for the United States to gain the confidence of the brown continent, and to catch up with Beijing and Moscow, which have strengthened their positions in Africa, as the value of trade exchange between Beijing and the capitals of the African continent amounted to about $254 billion until 2021.
The closing statement of the second American-African Summit affirmed the United States’ commitment to work to achieve greater African representation in international institutions, as the United States announced a plan to reform the United Nations Security Council, support for the permanent membership of African countries, and its support also for the African Union’s accession to the Group of Twenty as a permanent member. In addition to emphasizing the importance of expanded partnership to address the food security and climate crises and to strengthen health systems.
Hours before the start of the summit, the US National Security Adviser, Jack Sullivan, revealed the appointment of the diplomat, Johnny Carson, as a US special envoy to the African continent to implement what will be agreed upon during the summit. He also revealed Washington’s commitment to providing $55 billion in aid to Africa until 2025 as part of its strategy for economic, health and security support in the brown continent.
American Gulf Summit
During the first visit of the US President, Joe Biden, to the Middle East since he took office in 2020, the Saudi city of Jeddah hosted in mid-July 2022 an American-Gulf summit in the presence of the leaders of the countries of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, and with the participation of the Jordanian monarch, King Abdullah II, and the Egyptian president, Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, and the Iraqi Prime Minister, Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, and she touched on many hot files, including energy security, hot conflict areas in the Middle East, and the repercussions of the Ukrainian crisis, in addition to issues of strengthening strategic relations and expanding economic and security cooperation between the two sides.
The US-Gulf summit reaffirmed the strategic importance of joint relations between the two sides, building on the achievements of previous US-Gulf summits, whether the summit held in Camp David, America, on May 14, 2015, or the Riyadh summits on April 21, 2016 and May 21, 2017, with an emphasis on The necessity of continuing to hold this summit on an annual basis. According to the joint statement of the summit, the United States announced the provision of one billion dollars in new aid for food security in the Middle East and North Africa region, in addition to announcing the intention of some partners from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries to invest $ 3 billion in projects that are compatible with the goals of the American partnership for infrastructure and global investment. to invest in critical infrastructure in low- and middle-income countries. It was also announced the decision of the Arab Coordination Group, which includes ten specialized Arab financial development institutions, to provide at least $10 billion to meet the challenges of food security at the regional and international levels, and to provide $100 million to the East Jerusalem Hospital Network that provides health care to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Gaza and East Jerusalem.
The 31st Arab summit in Algeria
After a three-year hiatus against the background of the repercussions of the outbreak of the Corona pandemic, and under the slogan “reunification”, the 31st Arab Summit was held in Algeria on November 1, 2022, and it was considered the first digital Arab summit, which establishes a new phase, and opens the door to modernizing and renewing the frameworks of the Arab League. In parallel, its actions reflected a common Arab position to overcome differences, reject external interference in all its forms in the internal affairs of Arab countries, adhere to the principle of Arab solutions to Arab problems by strengthening the role of the League of Arab States in preventing crises and resolving them by peaceful means, and working to strengthen Arab-Arab relations.
The 31st Arab Summit issued the “Algeria Declaration”, which stressed the centrality of the Palestinian cause, the establishment of an independent state of Palestine on the lines of June 4, 1967, support for its full membership in the United Nations, and intensification of efforts to unite the Palestinian ranks. In addition to working to strengthen joint Arab action to protect Arab national security in its comprehensive sense, and in all its political, economic, food and water dimensions, and to solve and end the crises that some Arab countries are going through.
The “Algeria Declaration” called for the participation of Arab countries in formulating the features of the new international system for the post-Corona world and the Ukrainian crisis, and adherence to the principles of non-alignment and the common Arab position on the Ukrainian crisis, which is based on renouncing the use of force, and striving to activate the peace option through the active involvement of the Arab Ministerial Contact Group. (Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, UAE, Iraq, Sudan, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States) in international efforts to formulate a political solution to the crisis.
Gulf and China
During the days of December 9 and 10, 2022, and in a precedent that is the first of its kind, the Saudi capital, Riyadh, hosted, during the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping, to the Kingdom, three summits: the first is “Saudi-Chinese”, the second is “Arab-Chinese”, and the third is “Gulf-Chinese”. In the presence of more than 30 leaders, heads of state and heads of regional and international organizations, the three summits aimed at developing relations between the Arab and Chinese sides in various fields.
The Chinese side has shown great interest in the three summits, especially since it is the first time that an Arab-Chinese summit has been held on a large scale, and it is the largest diplomatic gathering and the highest level between China and the Arab world since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, which made it a milestone in the history of Sino-Arab relations.
The Arab-Chinese Summit agreed on a set of decisions and recommendations that aim in the direction of strengthening the strategic partnership between the Arab countries and the People’s Republic of China, enhancing exchange between China and the Arab countries in various dimensions and levels, and concerting efforts to face common development challenges.
It also affirmed the Chinese side’s determination to work with the Arab countries to resolve security issues in the region, and in return affirming the Arab countries’ unwavering commitment to the principle of one China, their support for China’s efforts to preserve its sovereignty and territorial integrity, support for the Chinese position in the Hong Kong file, and its efforts to maintain national security. Developing and perfecting democracy in Hong Kong within the framework of the principle of “one country, two systems”.
In turn, the Gulf-Chinese Summit came out with an agreement to strengthen the existing strategic partnership between the Gulf Cooperation Council and China, and push it towards new horizons in various political, economic and cultural fields, in addition to adopting a joint action plan for the coming period (2023-2027), with an emphasis on the importance of comprehensive dialogue with the participation of Countries in the region to confront and stop destabilizing regional activities, counter support for terrorist and sectarian groups and illegal armed organizations, prevent the proliferation of ballistic missiles and drones, and ensure the safety of international navigation and oil installations.
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