Okaz newspaper

A new and important event recently took place in Riyadh. This event is just as important as many other historical events, such as the creation of the GCC, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Muslim World League. Maybe this latest development is even more important taking into consideration the current conditions of growing political and economic conflict.

The recent event was the launching of a new regional alliance of seven Arab and African countries bordering the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The alliance aims to strengthen peace and security in the region and secure sea navigation and world trade.

The Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden are like a bottleneck in the movement of commerce and energy. The area is the entry point to countries rich in natural resources. Geopolitical elements have made this area attractive to other countries.

Iran has attempted to extend its influence to Africa through the Red Sea by exporting its ideology. The Iranian project has failed because it knocked on the wrong doors. Poor nations do not care about ideologies; they want food, medicine, development and education. Iran has kept an eye on this area through their agents in Yemen, which borders on the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

Later came Turkish influence as Erdogan attempted to find a foothold on the west coast of the Red Sea and sadly succeeded. Turkey will work hard to find footholds in other locations unless someone puts an end to its ambitions.

If you consider the terrorist organizations that control parts of Somalia and Yemen, you will realize the danger of tampering with this strategic part of the world.

With the creation of the new alliance, Saudi Arabia has shown is keenness to provide security and stability regionally and internationally, and to put an end to the attempts by other countries to instigate chaos.