I extend my thanks and gratitude to His Excellency Dr. Otto Wiesheu and Mr. Houssam Maarouf for their kind invitation to speak in their 3rd Arab-German Conference on Security and cooperation. My thanks also go to their partners in organizing this conference: Gulf Cooperation Council and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung for supporting such an event to advance Arab-German friendship.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

At a time when the World is facing its most critical crisis that is claiming thousands of lives every day, we are learning firsthand how much is the oneness of our human destiny. Multilateralism is key. The new American Administration, under President Joe Biden, is leading in emphasizing and in calling for consolidation of multilateralism. This is a welcome development after years of uncertainty concerning the US global leadership. Both the European countries and the countries of the Middle East, particularly the countries of the Arab Gulf region, are on the same footing in our concerns about the American retreat. Our deep strategic engagement with the US for decades linked our strategic security interests to the

US and vice versa. However, singling out China as a strategic competitor and as a strategic threat in these erstwhile summits may endanger the prospect of sustaining multilateralism that serves the global interests in peace, security, and prosperity. Successful Multilateralism requires the engagement of all in facing global challenges. Multilateralism does not

mean “the west against the rest”. The world does not need an intentional or an unintentional “new cold war”. We in the GCC countries and in Europe need to cooperate to be the voices of wisdom in helping to avoid such development. We must also cooperate in calling and working together to reform world institutions to deal effectively with such immense challenges facing the world. Reforming the UN system and making the UN Security Council more representative and more inclusive will lead to great powers, regional powers, and all states of the world to

work together in preserving peace and security and in meeting the requirements of facing challenges of today and of the future. Building new alliances under the

democracy mantra or other mantras is a recipe for further polarization of world politics.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is not enough to keep rehearsing the fact that the Arab World and the greater Middle East are a troubled region. However, the Middle East nowadays is not only troubled but is in a state of strategic confusion. The strategic confusion means a state of mistrust, sharp polarization, multiplicity of issues of conflicts, and multiplicity of competing actors dealing with the situation on an ad-hoc basis. This situation is responsible for unleashing all kinds of political, social, religious, sectarian forces, non- state actors, terrorist groupings, and regional and international interferences. As in Europe, the Arab Gulf geopolitics for the last seven decades revolved around a security architecture managed by the US with its own rules and norms and institutions. Therefore, the perception, of the US abandoning the region and its commitments there is feeding this uncertainty and this strategic confusion in the Middle East and widens the existing strategic vacuum that is increasingly coveted by regional and other great powers. This perception increases the appetite of radical states and forces in the region and harms us all. The recent withdrawal of American air defense capabilities at a time when American’s allies face increasing missile and drone attacks is proof of that.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

While it is fair to say that US foreign policy in the Middle East, during the reign of the past three administrations contributed immensely to this situation, states of the region bear a big share of responsibility in where things stand today. The GCC countries had welcomed the Iran

nuclear deal or the (JCPOA) of 2015 and are still interested in seeing Tehran return to strict compliance with terms of the deal. However, concerns remain about Iran’s regional destructive behavior, its power projection, and the shortcomings of the deal itself. Ongoing negotiations to return to this deal may end successfully for its signatories, but if they don’t take in consideration such concerns, Iran will end up utilizing lifting the sanctions to advance its destructive interference and empowering terrorist non-state actors active in threatening the national security of our states. The deal does not rationalize Iranian behavior in the

region. The new agreement must have conditions to check Iran's behavior and its dubious ambitions. The new president-elect in Iran Mr. Ibrahim Raisi is an indication not to expect any shift in Iranian regional behavior. Power in Iran, Ladies and Gentlemen, rests in the hands of the supreme leader, not between moderates and hardliners. Europe in general and

Germany with its historical relationship with Iran must bear some responsibility in pressuring Iran to be a more responsible actor on the regional stage.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The latest war in Gaza was a reminder to us all in Europe and the Middle East of the urgency of solving the Palestinian issue justly. Above all this war showed us the trends of future wars in the region. GCC countries and Europe need to address this issue actively and justly. Israel will never have peace without solving this issue and must not have any illusions about this. European efforts in supporting the Palestinian authority are welcome but there is a need to do more in pressuring Israel to accept the fact that without solving this issue justly the future is not in the interest of all. Recognizing a Palestinian State by the European Union is long overdue. Germany's leadership in Europe can convince the EU members to take this step to help in pressuring parties to find a solution. No efforts will succeed without the consent

of the Palestinians even if all Arab States normalize their relationship with Israel.

The situations in Iraq and Syria, Ladies and Gentlemen, require the attention of both the Europeans and the GCC countries. After long troubled years, Iraqis are longing to reclaim their national state and their national institutions and they deserve to be helped, not to be abandoned. Having a stable and secure Iraq is in the interest of all in the Arab world and Europe. Reclaiming the national Iraqi state is very important to restore the balance of power in the region and to curtail the malign and destructive tendencies within Iraq. Saudi Arabia and its sisters in the Gulf are doing their best to help the Iraqis to reclaim their

national state. The same can be said about the Syrian state that is tragically suffering for the last ten years. Leaving it to Iran and Russia and Turkey does not help the Syrian people to realize their aspirations. Therefore, a European role is needed to push for a peaceful end to

this catastrophe.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Continuation of the war in Yemen is a big concern to Saudi Arabia and to all the GCC countries and to the world at large. However, all efforts to stop the war by the UN and other parties failed so far by the refusal of the Houthi to come to his senses to find a solution to this war and its causes. Saudi Arabia presented a number of an initiatives to end the war by accepting a

cease fire, allowing humanitarian assistance by lifting blockades, and opening a political negotiation between all Yemeni parties to the conflict to find a political solution to the Yemeni crisis. The Houthi’s concept of peace is to recognize him as the ultimate legitimate power ruling over all of Yemen. This is not accepted and will never be accepted by Yemenis and by Saudi Arabia. However, let us hope that the Houthi will realize this fact and come to the peace table. Germany, with its particular affection to the Houthi and other European countries need to know this fact about the Houthi’s ideological and political design that is linked to Iran. Pressuring and blaming Saudi Arabia alone will not of help in ending this war.

Thank you.