“Render true and sound judgment with your neighbours.”
[Apr.18.2023] Nine Arab countries have agreed to work together for a political resolution to the Syrian civil war.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on the 15th (local time) that “political means are the only way to resolve the crisis in Syria, and Arab leaders have agreed to make a concerted effort towards the resolution.”
The six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, as well as Egypt, Iraq and Jordan, gathered in Jeddah, a city in western Saudi Arabia, on the 14th to discuss current issues, including the Syrian civil war. The GCC is a regional cooperation body established in 1981 by six Arab countries in the Gulf region, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain, along with Saudi Arabia.
After the meeting, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized, “Ministers from nine countries must produce a mechanism to resolve the Syrian crisis and achieve unity, security and stability in Syrian territory through strengthened consultations among Arab countries.”
The meeting came shortly after Saudi Arabia and Syria agreed to restore relations and resume flights between the two countries. Before the meeting, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mehdad visited Saudi Arabia and held meetings with Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, heightening expectations for Syria’s return to the Arab League (AL).
However, no agreement on Syria’s return to the Arab League was reached at the meeting. The Associated Press reported that an agreement was not reached as Qatar opposed Syria’s return to the Arab League. As a result, Syria’s return to the Arab League is expected to be decided at the Arab League summit scheduled to be held in Saudi Arabia on the 19th of next month.
Syria was expelled from the 22-member Arab League after a civil war broke out in 2011. Arab and Western countries pointed to President Bashar al-Assad’s hard-line suppression of anti-government protests as the cause of the civil war and supported the rebels in the early stages of the civil war.
As the war stalled, President Assad regained control of most of the country with military support from Russia, Iran, and its allies, Arab countries have shown signs of restoring relations with him in recent years. As Saudi Arabia and Iran recently agreed to normalize relations, the atmosphere of reconciliation between Syria and Arab countries has reached its peak (Source: Yonhap News).
These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts; do not plot evil against each other, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this,” declares the Lord. (Zechariah 8:16-17)
Thank You, God, for bringing together the leaders of nine Arab countries to solve the problem for Syria, which has been devastated by a long civil war. May You answer the prayers that the churches of the nations have prayed with patience and guide the Arab Leagues meetings until peace is restored in Syria. Also, may You open the ears of Arab nations to the gospel and let the Arab nations know that the answer to all the crises lies only in the Lord, and let the nations speak only the truth to each other. So that they don’t plot evil against each other but are reborn as countries that seek the reign of the Lord.
Prayer 24·365
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