Egypt is celebrating the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Arab League, which has served as a platform for joint Arab action since its establishment in Cairo on March 22, 1945. On this occasion, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed Egypt's deep pride in its historical role in founding, supporting, and hosting the headquarters of the Arab League. The ministry said that the League has been, and remains, a vital framework for strengthening cooperation among Arab countries in various political, economic, social, and cultural fields. Egypt praised the Arab League's efforts in defending Arab interests and coordinating among Arab states to address regional and international challenges. It noted the League's central role in supporting Arab causes, working to achieve the aspirations of Arab peoples, and mobilising Arab efforts to support independence and the liberation of Arab land. The Arab League continues to work to coordinate common positions and visions to address challenges facing the Arab world and to intensify economic and political integration among its member states. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the Arab League, said that the organisation is a reality imposed by geography and shared Arab history, and also embodies a powerful emotional current among Arab peoples that emerged in the mid-20th century and continues to flow. In a recorded message on the 80th anniversary, Aboul Gheit said that the Arab League has witnessed significant events in the world and the region, and has remained a strong bond for all those who belong to Arab civilisation and culture and who seek a shared Arab future. He added that it has been a bulwark against attempts to undermine or alter the region's identity, ensuring that the area stretching from Marrakesh to Muscat and from Damascus to Khartoum remains Arab in language, culture, and orientation, in the past, present, and future. Aboul Gheit added, "We must admit that what has been achieved is less than the ambition, and that what we have reached is less than what we had hoped for. Every Arab today looks to a regional institution that embodies the bond of unity in a practical way, reflecting on the economy, trade, and welfare of societies. Despite the launch of the Arab Free Trade Area in 2005, leading to the launch of the Arab Common Market for Electricity in 2024, we are still far from achieving the full potential of economic integration in the Arab region. This potential could unleash the tremendous economic energies of a region with exceptional strategic assets on all economic, social, and geopolitical levels."
