Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan confirmed that the presence of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for the Arab summit – which was held on Friday in Jeddah – was at the invitation of Riyadh, and that the invitation came from the door of listening to all parties.
This came during a joint press conference with the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, after the conclusion of the Arab summit.
Al-Farhan stressed the keenness of Arab countries to be "positive neutral" towards the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, adding that there is no solution to this crisis except through dialogue.
The Saudi foreign minister also welcomed the messages of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Arab summit.
Al-Farhan stressed that the "Jeddah Declaration" emanating from the summit included initiatives to promote Arab action and emphasize the centrality of the Palestinian cause.
Regarding the Sudanese crisis, Al-Farhan called on all parties to be responsible and resort to dialogue, noting that the talks of the Sudanese parties in Jeddah are trying to ensure the cessation of hostilities in a way that preserves the security and safety of civilians in Sudan.
The Saudi foreign minister added that Sudanese talks were still underway in Jeddah and that it was too early to talk about a solution.
The Return of Syria
Regarding Syria, al-Farhan stressed that Damascus' return to the Arab League came for the benefit of the Syrians, expressing his hope that this would contribute to ending the crisis in the country.
He stressed that Riyadh will talk to its Western partners about relations with Syria, and that it is working to return Syrian refugees to their homeland, noting that hardline positions are not in the interest of the Syrian people.
For his part, the secretary of the Arab League considered that the return of Syria is an internal Arab affair, and said that it must work independently of the vision of external powers on this.
Aboul Gheit said that the Jeddah summit achieved its desired goal, pointing out that Syria needs the help of the Arabs and should react to its return to the university.
The Secretary-General of the Arab League also appreciated Saudi Arabia's efforts to reach the hoped-for settlement in Sudan.