Saudi Gazette report

DAVOS —Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan said on Tuesday that there had been some progress in talks with Iran but it is “not enough” and that the Kingdom's hands remain outstretched toward Tehran.

Speaking at a World Economic Forum (WEF) panel on Tuesday, Prince Faisal said that recent parliamentary elections in Lebanon “may be a positive step” but that it was too early to tell.

He called for global dialogue and cooperation amid an escalation in geostrategic competition between major powers US, China and Russia.

“If we learned anything on COVID-19, it is that we need to focus on cooperation, we need to continue to look toward avenues to foster cooperation,” the foreign minister said.

“Even when there is difference, there is competition, we need to find mechanisms to talk to each other. And with the Kingdom having a relationship with all the major players and playing a role in a very important part of the world, we hope that we can facilitate some of the dialogue, especially when you talk in the context of the China-US.”

However, without cooperation, especially on issues such as food security, “we will be facing significant difficulties, especially in the developing world,” Prince Faisal said.

“The Kingdom is a member of the G20, but it is also a developing country, and we feel very strongly to help set the global agenda in a way that supports the rest of the developing world,” he added.

Prince Faisal hoped that increased diplomatic activity in the Middle East could open more pathways to dialogue and cooperation.

“I certainly hope so, and we are working very hard to make that happen,” he said.

“The Kingdom has Vision 2030, which is a very broad-ranging vision. We can only do that if we have a safe and secure region, a region that is stable.

“And that can only happen with the cooperation of all our neighbors, so we would continue that path of dialogue and cooperation,” Prince Faisal added.

On the GCC union, Prince Faisal said: "The GCC is more relevant than ever, it is "one of the few functioning mechanisms that continue... we have focused on addressing international challenges in a unified way.”