The tale of the two summits.

The limelight of this week has been two Summits hosted by cities, almost 9,000 kilometers apart, for discourse on ways to combat difficult challenges affecting international and regional peace, stability and progress. Saudi Arabia hosted the Arab League Summit in Jeddah on 19 May while Japan was host to the G-7 Summit in Hiroshima on 19-21 May. Both events conveyed messages of crucial importance although with differing nuances.

Arab Leagues' Jeddah Summit has further elevated stature of Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman for his relentless pursuit of regional stability and economic integration. The hallmark of Jeddah Summit was presence of two leaders - Syria's President Bashar Al Assad and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Assad attended the Summit after a hiatus of over 12 years since Arab League suspended Syria in 2011 due to infighting in the country. In recent years Syrian government quelled rebels to a large extent with active support from Russia and Iran. Return of Syria to Arab mainstream also signifies efforts to recover from negative effects of Arab Spring that caused disruptions in many stable countries of the broader Middle East and North Africa...