Saudi Arabia participated in the summit-level meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Contact Group, which was held today in Baku, Azerbaijan, where the Kingdom's delegation was led by the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Eng. Waleed bin AbdulKarim El-Khereiji. Eng. El-Khereiji, who delivered the Kingdom's speech during the summit, praised the efforts made by Azerbaijan during its presidency of the NAM at a time when the world is experiencing accelerating challenges and exceptional circumstances. He expressed the Kingdom's solidarity and sincere sympathy to the Turkish and Syrian people who suffered from the devastating earthquakes that left behind a catastrophic outcome of human and material losses, stressing that the Kingdom stands with the Turkish and Syrian peoples in this difficult humanitarian circumstance and that it has not and will not spare any effort to alleviate the impact of this affliction. He explained that the Kingdom participated in the ongoing rescue and relief efforts by sending qualified teams and urgent medical, relief, food, and logistical assistance, and it also took the initiative to organize a national campaign for the benefit of the victims, which has so far exceeded SR400 million. Eng. El-Khereiji also stressed the Kingdom's firm position in support of the Palestinian cause, and its total rejection of Israel's announcement to annex nine settlements, noting that the Palestinian issue will remain part of the NAM meetings until the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, as outlined in the Arab Peace Initiative. He concluded by reiterating the Kingdom's firm commitment to strengthening joint action with all countries and the international community in general so that all peoples can live in a world where security, peace, and stability prevail.
