UAE calls on Iran to seek new deal with world powers, region

The UAE has called on Arab states to explore a more stable regional order in which all countries will be able to thrive. The call was made by UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash in the keynote speech for the Abu Dhabi Strategic Debate (ADSD) on Sunday. Referring to the conflicts and related challenges in Yemen, Libya and Iran, Gargash said that the Arab world had reached a “critical juncture” and that the next 12 months could be “decisive.”

With “Old Power Competition in the New Age” as its theme, the ADSD has lined up an array of speakers, including politicians, policy-makers and experts. Among the topics being discussed are “global distribution of military power,” the “global geo-financial map,” artificial intelligence (AI) and cyber capabilities.

The focus of the sixth Emirates Policy Centre-organised ADSD is power distribution in the Middle East and the competition for influence and leadership in the region by three non-Arab regional powers: Iran, Turkey and Israel. Gargash said that Arab states should use the present period of crisis as an opportunity to build a stable regional order with new values and “respect for national sovereignty” at its core. To this end, he appealed to leaders and policymakers for fresh and constructive ideas.

“We cannot have a stable order if countries like Iran and Turkey feel they can freely intervene in other states, or if some states have to live in fear of intervention by others,” he said. Gargash referred to the two attacks in September on the Saudi Aramco oil facilities, the Turkish invasion of Syria, and Israel’s threats to annex Palestinian territories as examples of developments that require “careful management and serious- minded statesmanship.”

Pointing to the conflicts in Yemen and Libya and the ongoing protests in Iraq and Lebanon, he said that these required “cool heads, firm resolve and dynamic diplomacy.” There is very little room for missteps, Gargash said, while appealing for co-operation, not “destructive competition,” between the major powers.