King Salman’s maiden UN address is Saudi’s foreign policy blueprint

 In his first-ever address to the United Nations General Assembly, the Saudi ruler laid down his country’s positions on terrorism and Iran.

 This year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations and, with the pandemic having forced the General Assembly online, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud addressed the gathering remotely for the first time since assuming office in 2015. In it, he clearly outlined the position that his country is taking with respect to the most pressing issues facing the region and the globe today.

 Stressing on the shared human values of “peace, moderation, tolerance, and solidarity”, he said it was more important than ever to work together in the coming days to jointly address the challenges confronting humanity, the most urgent of which is the coronavirus pandemic. He mentioned that Saudi Arabia has $500 million in support towards combating the disease and improving response in health, humanitarian, and economic spheres. He also called for greater cooperation in combating climate change organized crime and poverty, pointing out that his country has provided more than $86 billion in aid to over 81 countries over the past 30 years.

 The bulk of his speech however was reserved for two important issues. One was the distortion of the tenants of the moderate and tolerant Islamic faith by terrorism and extremism, born out of sectarian divisions and weak state institutions. He called for sustained action against the funding and ideology driving these, especially if they were being provided by the state. He spoke about Saudi support for the UN Counter-Terrorism Center and the establishment of the Global Center for Combating Extremism in Riyadh, which also hosts the Terrorist Financing Targeting Center.

 

He came around to speaking about states thwarting efforts to bring development, peace, and prosperity to the region and particularly zeroed in on Iran, which was wasting its nation’s fortunes and energy in bringing about chaos and strife in the region. While Saudi has always attempted to extend the hand of friendship to Iran and deal with it in amicable ways, its efforts are not being reciprocated, he said. Instead, Iran was targeting oil installations in Saudi Arabia, with scant regard for how this would affect global supply chains. With ballistic missiles and drones, it was continuing to target civilians and civilian structures, he said. He called for a comprehensive approach, decisive stand, and fundamental solutions in dealing with the threats posed by the country, instead of stop-gap measures which have continued to endanger international peace and security.