In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, and may blessings and peace be upon His Noble Prophet

Your Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of Bahrain, Your Majesties, Highnesses and Excellencies,
Arab kings, princes, heads of state and government,
Your Excellency the Secretary General of the Arab League, Ladies and Gentlemen,

At the outset, on behalf of the African Union Commission and on my own behalf, I would like to extend my sincere thanks and congratulations to His Majesty King Salman bin Abdelaziz Al Saud, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King of Saudi Arabia, for his successful presidency of the Arab League in its previous session. I also take this opportunity to extend my best wishes to His Majesty the King of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, for success in assuming the presidency of the current session. We are all confident that his auspicious presidency will contribute greatly to advancing the joint Arab action and the African-Arab partnership as well as realizing its legitimate priorities and ambitions.

Your Majesties, Highnesses and Excellencies,

This summit takes place amid extremely dangerous and complex international circumstances for the Arab world and the African continent alike. We are all facing a brutal war against the steadfast Palestinian people. The risk of destruction to human lives and infrastructure continues to increase and expand to Rafah and other areas of the Gaza Strip.

Since the beginning of this war, the African Union has strongly condemned this unprecedented destruction in human history. We also called, and we continue to urgently call, for effective concerted efforts to end the war and achieve a political solution based on the principle of two states coexisting in peace, respect and sovereignty, and ensuring security of the Palestinian and Israeli peoples.

Achieving the two-state solution, which today enjoys explicit support of the vast majority of countries and peoples of the world, is the only path to recognize the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, and enhance security and stability of the entire region.

Every delay in implementing this prudent decision means the continuation of the catastrophe, with more loss of innocent lives, bloodshed, and the destruction of all aspects of life for an entire people, regardless of it being a blatant violation of all the noble values and principles on which human civilization was built.

As we appeal to the world to exercise strong pressure to stop the war and amplify humanitarian support, we praise the efforts of all philanthropists to achieve this goal, particularly the State of Qatar and the Arab Republic of Egypt, and we wish them success in their endeavors in this regard.

Your Majesties, Highnesses and Excellencies,

We in the African Union are committed to the principles and values of the African-Arab partnership and to the historical, geographical, cultural and political ties that exist between our two regions, as well as our common destiny.

In this context, we express our great appreciation for the various efforts made and their fruitful results. Regardless of the bilateral aspects of cooperation between Arab and African countries, the efforts of the Islamic Development Bank over the past fifty years, as well as the Arab African Development Bank and the Arab Finance and Development Funds, have undoubtedly contributed to advancing development across the African continent. However, despite this, our partnership is still below the level that reflects the nature and dimensions of our relations.

I have repeatedly expressed Africa’s desire to revitalize this partnership for the good of the peoples and countries of the two regions. I have always unequivocally stated that our partnership, in its current state, does not rise to the level of those historical relations and various dimensions.

We are all required to have better cohesion to avoid imbalance and advance our partnership around our shared priorities in investment, infrastructure, economic integration, trade, environment, food sufficiency, modern technologies, and to boost solidarity in international forums around our common issues and concerns.

The severe turmoil in today's world leaves us no excuse for inaction. Therefore, I call upon you to take a serious leap on the basis of a more determined political will.

Your Majesties, Highnesses and Excellencies,

The devastating war everywhere in Sudan must stop immediately, and the people of Sudan must engage in direct dialogue, away from all foreign interference. We must also diligently and sincerely support our brothers in Libya for national reconciliation, unifying their national institutions, and leading their country towards stability.

The situation in Somalia calls for redoubling our solidarity with this brotherly country to achieve victory against terrorism, to reunite the country, and to promote peace, reconciliation, reconstruction, and development.

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The African Union is fully ready to work jointly with you to achieve these desired goals.

I wish you all the best and success.
May the peace, mercy and blessings of God be upon you.

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