The Foreign Minister, Prince Saud Al-Faisal, reiterated the keenness of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to enhance its partnership with the European Union, and said that collective efforts should be exerted to this end.
Lecturing here on Thursday in response to an invitation from the Brussels-based Centre of European Political Studies, Prince Saud said that efforts should be exerted to promote re-formulation of the economic system and improvement of management. “We are in need of a comprehensive reform program, with political, legal, administrative, economic and educational components,” he said, adding that reform cannot be imposed from outside, but must represent a gradual process generated by the countries concerned.
Prince Saud noted that extremists might succeed in their aims in the absence of cooperation to ensure peace and stability in the region. He stressed the importance of finding a just, comprehensive settlement for the Arab-Israeli dispute, with the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. He emphasised the importance of international cooperation under the umbrella of the UN effectively to tackle the situation in Iraq.
The lecture was attended by a number of Islamic and European dignitaries, and a number of diplomats, including the Saudi Ambassador in Brussels, Nasser Al-Assaf.
When introducing Prince Saud Al-Faisal’s lecture, Director of the Centre of European Political Studies Stanley Crossik highlighted the important role played by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Arab, Muslim and international arenas.
Source: SPA
