Arab representatives discuss ways to confront Iranian and Turkish interference in the Middle East
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) chaired an Arab League meeting aimed at addressing the Islamic Republic of Iran's interference in the internal affairs of Arab countries in the region.
The meeting was held by the Arab Ministerial Quartet Committee on the Follow-up to the Iranian Crisis on the sidelines of the Arab League Council session and was chaired by Khalifa Shaheen al-Marar, UAE Minister of State.
Representatives from Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, as well as the Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, attended the meeting, which was held in the Egyptian capital of Cairo and discussed developments in the crisis.
The Arab Ministerial Quartet Committee met on Wednesday to discuss developments in the crisis with Iran and ways to address alleged Iranian interference.
Osama bin Ahmed Naqli, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Egypt and permanent representative to the Arab League, represented the Kingdom on behalf of Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan.
The meeting, which took place in Cairo on the sidelines of the 155th session of the Arab League Council, was chaired by the aforementioned Khalifa Shaheen al-Marar. The other participants were Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and Bahraini Deputy Foreign Minister Abdullah al-Dossary.
They discussed "ways to enhance cooperation and joint coordination to confront Iranian terrorist practices and combat their terrorist weapons that cause havoc and destruction, disrupt development and prosperity, and threaten regional and international security and stability," according to the official Saudi news agency SPA and reported by Arab News.
They also discussed "the importance of strengthening work with the international community to stop Iran's nuclear programme, which threatens international peace and security in the region and the world".
As analysts and experts have noted, the Islamic Republic of Iran has long had a significant presence in several Middle Eastern countries and interferes in state affairs through proxy Shi'a groups operating in each of these nations. For example, in Iraq it is aided by the Popular Mobilisation Forces, in Yemen by the Houthi rebels seeking to undermine the internationally recognised government of Abd Rabbuh Mansour al-Hadi, in Palestine by the Hamas militia, in Lebanon by the Islamist Hezbollah group and in Syria by the Afghan-based Liwa Fatemiyoun group.
The Ayatollahs' regime is the main regional representative of the Shiite branch of Islam, in confrontation with the Sunni one led by Saudi Arabia, Iran's great regional rival.
In recent times, especially thanks to the historic Abraham Accords, steps have been taken towards cooperation between Arab countries, opposed to Iran's expansionism, and the State of Israel, a great enemy of the Islamic Republic. Donald Trump's administration in the United States led to the establishment of diplomatic ties between nations such as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco and Israel, which have served to bring them closer to the Hebrew country with a view to pacifying the Middle East and to cornering belligerent policies such as those of Iran, a common rival in the region.
The United Arab Emirates also participated in an Arab League meeting seeking ways to address Turkey's interference in the internal affairs of Arab countries. The meeting was held by the Arab Ministerial Committee tasked with following up on Turkish meddling on the sidelines of the Arab League Council session, where Khalifa Shaheen Al-Marar himself represented the UAE.
The meeting was chaired by Egypt, and included representatives from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Iraq, as well as the Arab League secretary general himself, and discussed Turkey's illegitimate interference in the affairs of Arab countries.
Much has also been said about the aggressive foreign policy of Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Turkey, which has carried out military manoeuvres in other countries' internal confrontations, such as in the civil war in Libya, in the confrontation between the Syrian government and radical opposition groups, and in Iraq, where it has carried out operations to harass the Kurds, whom it accuses of terrorist acts in the south of Ottoman territory. In the case of Turkey, several analysts and various media have even pointed to cooperation with groups linked to jihadism in the Syrian conflict, and even the dispatch to Libya of mercenaries from Syria linked in the past to groups such as Daesh or Al-Qaeda.