Kuwait, March 25 (RHC)-- The 2014 Arab League Summit got underway on Tuesday in Bayan Palace in Kuwait, south of the capital, Kuwait city.

Some 13 heads of Arab states attended the summit, including Kuwait Amir, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Egyptian President Adly Mansour and Qatar's Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.  Other states whose leaders are absent sent high-ranking delegations to the summit.

Kuwait Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah led the opening ceremony, urging for closer ties between Arab states. "This summit was held in difficult circumstances regionally and internationally. So it's very important to stand united and coordinate our policy for the sake of regional prosperity and security," he said.

The theme of summit has been set as "Unity for a Better Future, " tasked with confronting many regional issues. The Syrian crisis and Palestinian cause are expected to top the agenda.

The summit seeks to hammer out a solution to put an end to the Syria civil war, which has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. But Syria's seat was vacant since its membership was suspended since 2011, while the leader of the opposition Syria National Council Ahmad Al-Jarba was invited to address the summit.

As to the stalled Palestinian issue, which was listed as the second session of the summit, "it's been the major challenge to the Arab region, and we'll continue to support the Palestinians," Kuwait Amir said in the opening speech.

Apart from the Syria crisis and the Palestinian issue, the summit will also discuss terrorism, economic cooperation, security situation in Lebanon and Egypt's political progress. The Kuwait Declaration, which will relate to political, economic, social, and development issues in Arab, is expected to be released after the summit concludes on Wednesday.