Arab League Secretary General Nabil el Arabi asserted that the Syrian crisis has become the tragedy of the current age in view of its international and regional repercussions at the political and humanitarian levels, pressing the need for consolidating efforts of all parties to bear their historical responsibility towards the salvation of Syria, maintain its unity, sovereignty and regional safety.

This came in Arabi's address to the opening session of the First Ministerial Meeting of the Arab-Indian Cooperation Forum which is held in the Bahraini capital Manama.

Arabi voiced hope over the success of efforts exerted by the international working group on Syria which has recently convened in New York to reach a ceasefire in Syria and start the negotiation track based on "Geneva Statement of 2012" and in view of UN Security Council Resolution 2254.

He also highlighted the need for consolidating regional and international efforts to reach a settlement for the Libyan crisis and maintain the unity, territorial integrity and safety of the country.

In this regard, Arabi praised the agreement reached among the Libyan parties under the auspices of the UN on December 16 in in the Moroccan coastal town of Skhirat and the declaration of a national unity government.

As per the growing threats of terrorism and extremism in the world, Arabi condemned terrorism in all its forms and asserted that such phenomenon should not be linked to any culture, religion or race, highlighting the need for drying up terror roots and funding resources.

He also asserted that the Palestinian issue will remain a vital issue for the Arab world, adding that despite the resolutions issued by the UN Security Council regarding this struggle but such resolutions have not been respected and have not yet come into effect.

He blamed the slackened international community for the continuation of such crisis and the lack of a genuine resolve to end the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories.

Arabi also asserted that the Arab League attached special importance to bolstering cooperation with India and outlining a common vision for a renewable partnership and cooperation among the Arab countries and India.

The volume of trade cooperation between Arab countries and India reached dlrs 200 billion, he said, noting that such figure is likely to increase in the coming years in view of the promising economic chances at both sides.

The first session of the Ministerial Meeting of the Arab-Indian Cooperation Forum is currently in session in the Bahraini capital of Manama. The meeting comes in view of the historical relations binding the Arab world with India.

The Memorandum of Cooperation for the establishment of an Arab-Indian Cooperation Forum was signed on December 2, 2008 in New Delhi. The document was renewed and developed, and the amended document was signed in December 2013.

Source: MENA