The Arab League postpones summit
The annual summit of the Arab League, originally slated for today, is postponed until November.
The 22-member regional body rescheduled its Algiers summit, citing COVID-19 concerns. The League hasn’t held an annual meeting since March 2019.
League foreign ministers met on March 9 in Cairo to discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine, calling in a final statement for a “diplomatic solution” to the crisis. Ministers also cautioned against ignoring persisting security concerns in the Arab world, namely the ongoing war in Yemen, a military coup in Sudan and political turmoil in Libya.
The Ukraine invasion has diverted considerable international attention from Arab world security. As the war in Ukraine drags on, attention is likely to continue to be focused elsewhere. Still, as NATO member-states and other countries debate divestment from Russian oil and natural gas, questions of supplementing demand with supplies from the Arab world will ultimately benefit League countries. As such, expect the group to use its increased appeal to outside member states to leverage its economic position and potentially aid in efforts to mediate between Russia and Ukraine.
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