Ashraf AboArafe
Mr. Nabil Fahmy, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, held separate meetings in New York with Sergey Lavrov, Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, and President Ahmad al-Sharaa of the Syrian Arab Republic, on the sidelines of the high-level segment of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.
During his meeting with Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister congratulated Fahmy on assuming his new responsibilities as Secretary-General, wishing him success in leading the League during the coming period.
The two sides discussed ways to strengthen Arab-Russian cooperation and develop existing mechanisms for consultation and coordination. Fahmy affirmed the League’s commitment to expanding cooperation with the Russian Federation and building upon established frameworks, foremost among them the Arab-Russian Cooperation Forum.
The meeting also featured an exchange of views on current regional and international developments, particularly the situation in the Middle East, developments concerning the Palestinian issue, and the situations in Lebanon, Syria, Libya and Sudan.
Fahmy stressed the importance of intensifying international efforts to achieve political settlements to the crises affecting the region, foremost among them the Palestinian issue. He called for an end to the war in the Gaza Strip, an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, and enabling the Palestinian people to exercise their right to self-determination and establish an independent state along the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
He further stressed the rejection of any Israeli attacks or violations against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Arab states, underscoring the need to respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity, rights and interests of the countries of the region, while adhering to international law and the Charter of the United Nations.
In a separate meeting, Fahmy met with President Ahmad al-Sharaa of the Syrian Arab Republic, where the two sides discussed developments in Syria and rapidly evolving regional and international circumstances.
Fahmy reaffirmed the League of Arab States’ commitment to strengthening its engagement and accompanying Syria’s efforts during the coming period, while supporting its endeavors to preserve the country’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity, advance economic recovery, and promote reconstruction and development.
The meetings in New York underscore the League of Arab States’ efforts to intensify consultation with international and regional partners over the crises confronting the Arab region, strengthen diplomatic and political engagement, and support the sovereignty, territorial integrity and legitimate interests of Arab states.
