Al-Mikdad holds important talks on the sidelines of the preparatory meetings for the Arab Summit in Jeddah

Jeddah – On the sidelines of the preparatory meetings for the Arab Summit in Jeddah, the Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Faisal Al-Mikdad on Wednesday held held separate meetings with his Lebanese, Tunisian, Omani and Jordanian counterparts, as well as with the Minister of State at the Emirati Foreign Ministry Khalifa Shaheen Al-Murer and Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

In a statement to journalists following his meeting with the Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib, Al-Mikdad said that the Syrian-Lebanese relations are strong and coordination between the two sides continues in various fields.

The Syrian refugees must return to their homeland

“We discussed the issue of the Syrian refugees in Lebanon and talked about coordination between the delegations of the two countries concerning issues of common interest”, he added.

“We have always stressed that the Syrian refugees must return to their homeland and that this return needs capabilities. Syria welcomes all its nationals whether the western countries encourage their return or impede it,” Al-Mikdad clarified.

He pointed out that “the refugee issue is a heavy burden on hosting countries and Syria wants all its refugee nationals to return to their homeland so that they don’t be a burden on other countries”.

Al-Mikdad also met with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Al-Safadi, Omani Foreign Minister Bader bin Hamed Al-Bousaidi, the Tunisian Foreign Minister Nabil Ammar, as well as the Foreign Minister of Djibuti Mahmoud Ali Yousuf and the Minister of State at the Emirati Foreign Ministry Khalifa Shaheen Al-Murer.

Talks focused on the mechanism of consolidating joint Arab Action as well as the topics listed on the agenda of Jeddah Arab Summit and the measures that should be taken to confront the challenges facing the Arab nation.

The foreign ministers affirmed the need to reactivate bilateral Arab relations in a way that serves the interests and meets the aspirations of the Arab peoples. View points were identical on different issues discussed during these meetings.

The Arab foreign ministers also stressed that Syria’s return to the meetings of the Arab League is greatly welcomed as it will positively affect joint Arab action.

Hamda Mustafa