Ashraf AboArafe
This morning, Mr. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, participated in the sixth session of the Arab-Russian Cooperation Forum (ARCF) in the city of Marrakesh, co-chaired by Mr. Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Residing Abroad, Mr. Sergei Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, and a number of foreign ministers of Arab countries.
Jamal Rushdi, the official spokesman for the Secretary-General, stated that holding this forum comes within the framework of seeking to develop dialogue and cooperative relations between the Arab League and all influential international partners, in light of the common interests and priorities that bring together the Arab and Russian sides in many political, economic and commercial fields.
During his speech, the Secretary-General stressed the Arab League’s appreciation for the clear Russian position since the beginning of the war on the Gaza Strip, pointing out that the conflict did not begin on October 7, but much before that, adding that the Gaza crime committed by the Israeli occupation is not only a shame for it, but also a shame for From everyone who participated in endorsing, supporting, or remaining silent on these crimes, which can only be called a massacre, a war of genocide, and ethnic cleansing.
The official spokesman said that the Secretary-General stressed the necessity of finding a radical solution to address the Gaza tragedy and not repeat it through real implementation and as quickly as possible of the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent and viable Palestinian state on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Aboul Gheit also pointed out during the speech the expansion of the armed confrontation in Sudan since last April, which exacerbates the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Sudan and increases the gap between the Sudanese parties and the increasing human and material costs of the conflict. Aboul Gheit called for completing the path of the political solution in Libya, and accompanying the Libyans. Until all their goals are achieved in stabilizing their country and restoring its sovereignty and security, he also called for finding a peaceful solution to the Yemeni crisis for the benefit of its people and for the security of the region, which is today exposed to serious threats in the Red Sea region.
Aboul Gheit pointed in particular to the important role played by the Cooperation Forum in improving economic, trade and investment relations between the Arab countries and Russia, which witnessed significant and continuous growth between them, which was embodied in the tangible increase in the volume of trade exchange between the two sides since the signing of the memorandum of understanding in 2003 in about $3.5 billion, rising to $14 billion in 2013 with the launch of the first session of the forum, reaching more than $22 billion by the end of 2022.
The official spokesman added that during the forum’s activities, two documents were approved, the first of which was the joint declaration and the joint action plan for the period (2024-2026).
