Saudi Arabia supports peace efforts, calls on Iran to fulfill nuclear commitments: FM

Saudi Arabia will remain supportive of international peace efforts to confront global challenges and ensure that the ambitions of future generations are realized, Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan said in his speech at the United Nations Saturday.

In his address at the UN 77th General Assembly, Prince Faisal also called on Iran to urgently fulfill its commitments regarding its nuclear program, to fully cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and “take serious steps in order to build trust with the neighboring [countries] and international community.”

“Establishing international peace and security is not achieved through an arms race or possession of weapons of mass destruction, but rather through cooperation between countries to achieve development and progress,” he said.

“Hence, we urge the international community to intensify and double its efforts to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction and to ensure that the Middle East is free from them.”

Touching on issues of regional concern in the Middle East, the foreign minister urged for more effort to solidify security and stability. He also highlighted Saudi Arabia’s keenness to cooperate with other nations to build a better future for the region, a point which was also highlighted during the Jeddah Security and Development Summit in July.

Discussing the situation in different countries of the region, Prince Faisal said that the Middle East’s security and stability require expediting efforts toward reaching “a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue.” He added that the independent Palestinian state should be based on the borders of 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

With regards to Yemen, the foreign minister said that the Kingdom is committed to “supporting the various efforts aimed at consolidating the truce.”

A 60-day UN-mediated ceasefire went into effect in April and has since been renewed twice for the same period. The current truce is set to expire on October 2.

In his speech, Prince Faisal highlighted that the Kingdom will continue to support multilateral international actions within the framework of UN principles “in order to enhance international cooperation to confront the challenges facing our world, and to actively participate and initiate everything that contributes to a more peaceful and just world and that achieves a promising future to our people and generations.”

He said that finding peaceful solutions to crises is essential, calling on different actors to “activate channels of dialogue and negotiations.” In this regard, the foreign minister reiterated the Kingdom’s support of international efforts aimed at finding a political solution to end the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.

“The process of peace building and overcoming challenges, achieving security, stability and prosperity as well as reaching a comprehensive economic development, requires combined efforts, deepening of partnerships, and enhancing cultural, civilizational and social exchange,” Prince Faisal said.