Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Bahrain’s Foreign Minister, opened the preparatory meeting for the 34th Ordinary Arab Summit in Baghdad today. This session marks the official handover of Bahrain’s leadership in the summit to Iraq.
During his opening speech, Dr. Al Zayani thanked Iraq for its hospitality and excellent summit preparations. Additionally, he extended gratitude to Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit and his team. Their collaboration with Bahrain during the 33rd session helped advance shared Arab Summit priorities.
He highlighted that Bahrain’s summit leadership, under King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, occurred during tough political and security conditions.
Dr. Al Zayani emphasized that the previous summit strongly supported Arab unity and peace. Moreover, it issued a direct call to end the war on Gaza and release all detainees.
The summit also rejected the displacement of Palestinians and demanded respect for their internationally guaranteed rights. It placed the Palestinian cause at the center of Arab Summit priorities.
Furthermore, it introduced resolutions calling for an international peace conference and Palestine’s full UN membership.
Dr. Al Zayani reaffirmed Bahrain’s pledge to implement these resolutions across all sectors. In fact, Bahrain coordinated closely with major global powers to express Arab views and gain support.
He also noted Bahrain’s participation in several regional diplomatic efforts, including the Palestine Summit in Egypt.
In line with Arab Summit priorities, Bahrain helped adopt Egypt’s reconstruction plan for Gaza.
To ensure proper follow-up, Bahrain formed a national committee to implement its summit initiatives.
After his address, Dr. Al Zayani officially passed the summit presidency to Iraq’s Foreign Minister Dr. Fuad Hussein. He wished Iraq success and expressed confidence that this year’s Arab Summit priorities would lead to effective regional collaboration and progress.
