Manila, Safar 10, 1448 AH, corresponding to July 24, 2026, SPA — On behalf of His Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Minister of Foreign Affairs, His Excellency the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Engineer Walid bin Abdulkarim Al-Khuraiji, participated today in the Conference of the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) titled 'Conflict Prevention and Preventive Diplomacy,' in the Philippine capital, Manila. The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs delivered a speech in which he emphasized promoting dialogue and strengthening mutual trust, and expanding the scope of regional cooperation more than ever before, noting the Kingdom's acknowledgment of the vital role played by ASEAN in promoting peace, stability, and prosperity, and its welcome of the progress made through recent ASEAN summits in enhancing economic integration and addressing common regional and global challenges. He said: The Kingdom affirms its firm commitment to strengthening its partnership with ASEAN based on the achievements of the ASEAN and Gulf Cooperation Council summits, in addition to the ability of our regions to open new horizons for growth while enhancing resilience and advancing our common interests. His Excellency stressed that the Kingdom continues to call for dialogue, diplomacy, and de-escalation as the only reliable way to achieve lasting peace and regional stability, reiterating the Kingdom's condemnation of Iran's illegitimate attacks on oil and gas tankers, critical infrastructure, and civilian areas in the Gulf, and the Kingdom's reaffirmation of the right of states to defend themselves in accordance with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs affirmed the Kingdom's condemnation of the false allegations made by the Houthi militia accusing the Kingdom of imposing a siege on Yemen, reiterating the Kingdom's strong condemnation of the repeated attacks launched by the Houthi militia on civilians and critical infrastructure, which threaten regional stability, stressing the Kingdom's firm support for the brotherly Yemeni people and their legitimate government. He explained that Saudi Vision 2030 is to prioritize cooperation over confrontation and make economic partnership a driver for lasting peace and shared prosperity, noting that the Kingdom, as a party to the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, bears a shared responsibility in supporting its principles by enhancing multilateral cooperation, supporting preventive diplomacy, protecting freedom of navigation, and promoting dialogue as the preferred means of resolving conflicts. The conference was attended by the Ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to the Republic of the Philippines, Faisal Al-Ghamdi. // End // 15:29 T M 0068