President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera has appealed to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to play a key role in ending an ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine.

Chakwera made the appeal in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during the plenary session of the First Saudi-Africa Summit.

The Malawi leader said it was unfortunate that the raging war is causing misery to thousands of innocent civilians, raising global tensions, stressing that this requires an urgent resolution from cooler heads that know how to broker peace.

“One such agent is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which has already proven itself instrumental in maintaining international peace and security in this region, and has a long track record of peacefully gathering millions of people from all over the world in celebration of a treasured religion whose followers greet everyone with a pronouncement of peace. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is therefore a strategic partner for Africa in pursuit of the African Union’s Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want, whose seven aspirations include the desire for a peaceful and secure Africa that practices peace within its region and promotes peace everywhere,” said President Chakwera.

He said the summit offers Heads of State a rare opportunity for Africa and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to build an alliance for peace on the bedrock of the history, heritage, and hopes they share in common.

Chakwera added that peace is the only context in which global development and prosperity thrive.

“Thankfully, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has already laid a strong foundation for such an alliance, for it already has embassies in over 30 nations in Africa. In the case of Malawi, diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia have existed since 1999, growing from strength to strength and bearing much fruit. One such fruit is the humanitarian assistance, worth half a million dollars, that Malawi received from the King Salman Centre for Relief and Humanitarian Aid, following the devastating effects of Tropical Cyclone Freddy,” he said.

At this point, President Chakwera urged investors to consider Malawi as their next destination, saying the country has great potential for mining, energy, and other areas, as well as an energetic youthful population.

He said the partnership between Malawi and Saudi Arabia will therefore unlock endless socioeconomic possibilities for Malawi and Africa.