RIYADH: The key to getting the Middle East region back on track toward development and prosperity is ending the Gaza conflict, the Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs said on Sunday.

Adel Al-Jubeir, who was speaking at the World Economic Forum Special Meeting being held in Riyadh, said the Israel-Hamas conflict raging in the enclave only served to 鈥渦ndercut鈥� any attempts to integrate the region and 鈥渦nleash its potential.鈥�

He added that, considering its young population, abundant natural resources and strategic geographical location, the Middle East had all the ingredients to be a successful region.

The goal of policymakers in 黑料社区 and beyond was to ensure these elements benefitted everyone and better linked the Middle East region with the rest of the world, Al-Jubeir said.

However, he said that this vision was 鈥渃omplicated by tensions鈥� affecting the Middle East, and it was important to put an end to these in order to 鈥渇ocus on the things that matter鈥� to developing its prosperity.

鈥�(With the situation in Gaza), our number one priority is to stop the fighting,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ur second priority is to ensure enough humanitarian assistance goes into the Gaza Strip so that we avoid starvation, disease, and we take care of the people there,鈥� he added.

鈥淚n the long term, we need to find a way to end this conflict (for good), and the only way we end it is by having a two-state solution, so we need to chart a clear, time-bound irreversible path to a Palestinian state.

鈥満诹仙缜� has said in terms of normalization (with Israel), this would be a part of that. The Arab world has had a position with regard to the Arab Peace Initiative, the US and the rest of the world supports this, so we need to make sure we stop the fighting, increase assistance and come up with a pathway to that Palestinian state,鈥� he added.

When pressed by the panel moderator, CNN鈥檚 Becky Anderson, on whether a two-state solution would be possible with Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing government in charge in Israel, Al-Jubeir said it was in 鈥渆veryone鈥檚 interest鈥� to end the conflict.

鈥淚鈥檓 not a mind reader or a psychiatrist; it鈥檚 not what I was educated in or my profession,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut what I can tell you is the interests of everybody in the region requires putting an end to this conflict, the potential that can be unleashed is tremendous, with good will, seriousness and foresight we should be able to get the ball over the goal line,鈥� he added.

Mohamad Al-Ississ, Jordanian finance minister, also said the region had lurched from crisis to crisis over several decades, and told the WEF panel: 鈥淭he one certain thing anybody can be certain of is that uncertainty is here to stay.鈥�

He said the role of policymakers in the Middle East should be investing and developing sectors that allowed the region鈥檚 economies to absorb and ride out the shock and impact that crises can have.

鈥淭he top priority is (determining) how to invest in enhancing your buffers, so that you can increase your resilience for when 鈥榖lack swan鈥� events, which have become the norm, unfold,鈥� he said.

Ahmed Galal Ismail, CEO of UAE鈥檚 Majid Al-Futtaim Holding, agreed. He said that while peace and stability were 鈥渙bviously indispensable to economic growth,鈥� if the region just waited for it to happen, it could be 鈥渨aiting for a long time.鈥�

He cited an example of intra-Arab trading being at its highest-ever level, but added it was 鈥渁naemic鈥� compared with other global blocs.

鈥淲e need to act. From a private sector perspective, we see opportunities independent from geopolitics and from the cruelty we see in parts of the region, so it is very important the actors in the sector are pragmatic, take the lead, and start what is needed to drive that economic integration.鈥�