Issue Brief on “28th Arab Summit: Beyond the Veneer of Optimism”

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“We will now make all efforts to translate them (recommendations) into reality[1].” This was stated by King Abdullah of Jordan in his closing remarks at the 28th Arab Summit on March 29, 2017.

The summit was an opportunity to showcase a united front for a region marred in conflict. With all the internal violence in the Arab world, the presence of sixteen Arab leaders at the summit – the rest of the member states were represented by high-ranking officials – was ranked by many as a success. Special Representative for the Russian President and Deputy Foreign Minister, Mikhail Bogdanov was also in attendance[2] as was the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission Federica Mogherini[3]. The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, and Staffan de Mistura, the UN Special Envoy for Syria were also present.

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