It is very easy to take for granted all the modern luxuries in our lives — television, mobile phones, traveling the world in airplanes, communicating via the internet, even machines to make coffee for us.

For millions of years, all these things did not even enter people’s wildest dreams, as man lived like animals.

But then something happened to unleash the power of our imagination — we learned to talk.

As the English scientist Professor Stephen Hawking said, speech has allowed the communication of ideas, allowing us to work together to build the impossible.

“Mankind's greatest achievements have come about by talking, and its greatest failures by not talking,” he said.

This quote alone is what became lodged in my mind upon hearing news that Syria would return to the Arab League.

President Bashar Assad attending the summit will give all our nations a chance to share ideas on a wide range of topics.

But most notably, it will provide an opportunity to offer support in reaching a stable and long-standing peace in the country that has been ravaged by war over the past decade.

All of our communities will now be able to grow closer and formulate a wide range of goals — it is certainly the case that we are always stronger together.

Of course, there are many other areas of the world where talking and collaboration is desperately needed.

In Sudan, for example, we have already played a huge role in rescuing refugees following the outbreak of hostilities.

The world is now looking to Saudi Arabia to use our influence in the region to help negotiate a ceasefire.

There are many other regions where talking alone can establish a long-standing peace — including Palestine and Yemen.

Of course, Arab unity will not solve all the problems facing our countries immediately.

But as long as we keep talking, we can exchange ideas and at least put ourselves on the path toward a more secure, prosperous world.

Perhaps we will never reach the level of cooperation seen in the European Union.

But talking is the only way we can understand each other, and attempt to bridge any gaps that may have before seemed insurmountable.

Only by talking can we find some kind of a glimmer of common ground to draw us slowly together.

Without it, there is only suspicion, hostility and misunderstanding.

Stephen Hawking firmly believed our greatest hopes could become reality simply by communicating.

“With the technology at our disposal, the possibilities are unbounded. All we need to do is make sure we keep talking,” he said.

With this in mind, I’m sure all our countries will welcome Syria back to the Arab League with open arms.

In a world that faces many major challenges, it is always better that we face them together.