LONDON — Saudi Arabia on Friday hailed the “new era of happiness and sense of freedom and security” that began 75 years ago to the day with the signing of the UN Charter. The comments from Abdallah Al-Mouallimi, Kingdom"s permanent representative to the United Nations, came as he joined UN General Assembly President Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and dignitaries from other member countries, in a virtual ceremony marking the day — June 26, 1945 — on which 51 nations, including Saudi Arabia, signed the document. Al-Mouallimi said the world needs peace and security more than ever as it faces numerous crises, and called for the UN’s role to be strengthened to help combat them successfully. He added that Saudi Arabia remains committed to the work of the UN, the use of peaceful solutions to resolve disputes and the principle of the right of people to self-determination. "It is a timely opportunity to revitalize United Nations institutions in cooperation with regional and international organizations to advance the common goal of establishing lasting, comprehensive peace based on tolerance and acceptance of one another so that all may live together in harmony." he said. "The COVID-19 pandemic, with hundreds of thousands of victims, millions of affected cases, has paralyzed the world in many areas and proven to us that dialogue, cooperation and fluid communication are the most fruitful ways to address the most complex problems that face our world. The early perception and coordination between countries could have minimized the impact of this pandemic, with which the world is still grappling. Perhaps the gravity of this pandemic will be the catalyst for us to strengthen the role of pluralism and to direct our investments toward health instead of weapons and war. The COVID-19 pandemic should be utilized us an opportunity to review global policies that have fallen short of producing results," Al-Mouallimi said. — Agencies