Arab foreign ministers meet in Saudi Arabia ahead of annual summit

By Ibrahim Al-Khazen
ISTANBUL (AA) – Arab foreign ministers convened in the Saudi city of Jeddah on Wednesday to prepare for the annual Arab summit, due on Friday.
Addressing the meeting, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan called for promoting joint Arab action.
“The region is facing uphill challenges at all levels. We look forward to facing the common Arab challenges in a way that achieves aspirations,” bin Farhan said.
"We need to work together for the advancement of the Arab peoples, and we must devise new mechanisms to face the challenges facing our countries,” he added.
This year’s edition of the Arab summit will see the participation of the head of the Syrian regime, Bashar al-Assad. His participation came after the Arab League reinstated Syria after 12 years of suspension.
The Saudi Arabia-hosted Arab summit will be the 50th over the past 77 years, according to an Anadolu tally.
The first Arab summit was held in Egypt in 1946, while the last one was hosted by Algeria in November 2022.
*Writing by Ikram Kouachi