On September 4, 2025, the Council of the League of Arab States—at the level of foreign ministers—adopted a resolution entitled “A Shared Vision for Security and Cooperation in the Region” at its 164th regular session at the League’s headquarters in Cairo. This resolution is an Egyptian initiative and Saudi initiative that included seven basic points: respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states and rejection of any external interference or threat of annexation; affirmation of the resolution of the Palestinian issue in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative and the two-state solution; cessation of settlement construction and protection of the rights of refugees and holy sites; commitment to international law and peaceful conflict resolution; strengthening Arab cooperation in maritime security, energy security, and economic stability; addressing climate challenges; commitment to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards; and establishing a zone free of weapons of mass destruction.

On September 4, 2025, the Council of the League of Arab States—at the level of foreign ministers—adopted a resolution entitled “A Shared Vision for Security and Cooperation in the Region” at its 164th regular session at the League’s headquarters in Cairo. This resolution is an Egyptian initiative and Saudi initiative that included seven basic points: respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states and rejection of any external interference or threat of annexation; affirmation of the resolution of the Palestinian issue in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative and the two-state solution; cessation of settlement construction and protection of the rights of refugees and holy sites; commitment to international law and peaceful conflict resolution; strengthening Arab cooperation in maritime security, energy security, and economic stability; addressing climate challenges; commitment to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards; and establishing a zone free of weapons of mass destruction.

On the other hand, the launch of this initiative by the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a continuation of the two countries’ keenness to find regional solutions to the challenges facing Arab national security, starting with the Arab Peace Initiative in 2002, which was adopted by the 14th Arab Summit in Beirut, which called for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state in exchange for normal Arab relations with Israel, followed by the Egyptian proposal to establish a joint Arab force in 2015, which was adopted by the Arab Summit at the time, and ending with the joint vision for security and cooperation in the region announced in September 2025.

In my view, the added value of the recent Egyptian-Saudi initiative lies in its reaffirmation of the idea of Arab solidarity, in word and deed, amidst the unprecedented regional security turmoil, which threatens not only the national security of Arab states but also the functioning of regional security organizations themselves through the globalization of solutions to regional threats. With the current system of international relations departing from the path of international law, whether on some political or economic issues, the logical question is: What is the fate of the regional security system? More precisely: How can factors of geography, proximity, and shared interests revitalize the work of regional security organizations? On the other hand, the issuance of this initiative at a time when Egyptian diplomacy is seeking to mobilize support for its candidate for the position of Secretary-General of the Arab League, Mr. Nabil Fahmy, the former Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs, confirms the agreement of many countries on this nomination. On the third hand, given the state of the Gulf-Egyptian movement that preceded the launch of this initiative, we find effective coordination and movement with multiple paths, the whole of which is the activation of the Gulf-Egyptian axis on the political, economic and security tracks, including the visit of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on August 21, 2025, and his meeting with His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince of the Kingdom and Prime Minister, a visit that gained great media momentum in the media of the two countries in terms of content and timing. In addition to the visit of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, to the Arab Republic of Egypt on August 25, 2025, and the visit of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain, to Egypt at the head of a high-level delegation on September 2, during which he met with a number of officials, most notably Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, which resulted in the signing of 14 agreements and memoranda of understanding in various areas of cooperation between the two countries, these visits, which were accompanied by bilateral visits between the leaders of several Gulf Arab states, reflect the fact that there is high-level coordination on all regional security issues, through a regional vision that reflects the concerns and interests of all Arab countries.

In short, ambitious initiatives need to be translated into comprehensive agreements that define the paths and goals of the countries in the region. The Council of the League of Arab States previously approved what is known as the “Constitution of the Arab Peace and Security Council” in 2008. which includes many important principles, some of which overlap with the contents of the recent Egyptian-Saudi initiative. However, in light of new developments, particularly the war in Gaza and the issue of nuclear proliferation, Arab countries need – today more than ever – for a comprehensive strategic concept of Arab national security, to put all these ideas into practice, so that regional security retains its identity and specificity, given the unprecedented threat we are witnessing to the rules of international law and the principles of the United Nations.

Note: This article has been automatically translated, the full article is available in Arabic.

Dr. Ashraf Mohammed Keshk : Director of Strategic and International Studies Program