The United States and the Arab League concluded successful talks on July 19 in Washington, D.C. on topics ranging from reducing tensions in regional conflicts, climate and health security, information and communications technology infrastructure, universal values spelled out in the United Nations Charter, women’s economic empowerment, and countering terrorism and violent extremism in all their forms. The Arab League and the United States released the below statement at the conclusion of the meeting.
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We value the relationship between the Arab League and the United States and commit to increasing cooperation on mutually important issues including promoting peace, security, stability, integration, and economic prosperity.
We discussed a variety of important issues and crises including Middle East peace and the Israeli-Arab* conflict, as well as other political crises in the region and the world. We also discussed a host of other topics such as nonproliferation and arms control, multilateral issues, the importance of secure information and communications technology infrastructure, as well as building resilience to climate, and improving public health intervention and health security in the Middle East.
We are encouraged by the common ground we have found on the importance of community engagement, building resilience to recruitment to violence, and supporting the role of education in countering radicalization to violence and terrorism. Together, we stand firm in our fight against ISIS/Daesh, al-Qa'ida, and all other terrorist groups.
We strongly condemn any threats, armed seizures, and attacks against commercial ships that interfere with navigational rights and freedoms in the strategic waterways of the region. We resolve to increase our commitment to pursue collective efforts to address threats to the security of vessels traveling through the region’s waterways that are critical to international trade and the global economy.
We resolve to work to ensure that women are economically empowered and engaged in decision-making processes. We intend to work to ensure that COP28 in Dubai, for the benefit of the process, includes a diverse range of women’s voices. We share a mutual desire to continue pursuing health equity and security, upholding respect for human rights.
The United States and the Arab world share enduring economic, social, cultural, and people-to-people ties. We strongly believe that our shared commitment to investing in our people will reap dividends for the future generations of all Arab League member states and the United States.
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* Apparently an inadvertent error, the Department of State used an incorrect term to describe Arabs in the region. WireNews corrected this mistake.