Leaders of GCC adopt Riyadh Declaration at end of summit
‘Full integration, single foreign policy’
RIYADH, Dec 9, (KUNA): Leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries concluded their oneday summit in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Sunday.
The summit, chaired by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz, approved the Riyadh Declaration which primarily reaffirmed GCC leaders’ keenness on unity of the member countries and pursuing the objectives of the unity.
His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah led Kuwait’s delegation to the summit. good neighborliness rules.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz said on Sunday that it was imperative to protect the very essence of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), amid talks bringing together leaders of the bloc’s member states.
The GCC aims to ensure a highly secure and prosperous Gulf region, he said as the 39th GCC summit kicked off in the Saudi capital, pointing out that the bloc has been blessed with the capabilities needed to ascend to global prominence.
The Saudi king thanked His Highness the Amir for his role as the chair of last year’s talks, giving the GCC secretary general equal credit for his The GCC is made up of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar and Oman.
Leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Sunday reaffirmed keenness on unity of member countries, calling for achieving fullfledge integration, and forming a “single and effective” foreign policy.
Leaders of the six Arab Gulf states acknowledged the threats that undermined security and stability of the region, calling for cementing efforts for a collective action to honor aspirations of the GCC people, Secretary General Abdullatif Al-Zayani told a news conference as he was reading Riyadh Declaration.
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir said Sunday any conflict among Arab Gulf countries “can be solved within the Gulf house” and collective work.
The collective work of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries is not different than the national action of every member country, Al-Jubeir told a news conference following the one-day GCC Summit.
“The GCC always succeed when it works in one direction,” he said.
The Gulf crisis “has no impact on the GCC work,” said Al-Jubeir when asked about the dispute with Qatar. and integration, he noted.
The GCC chief, further, spoke highly of the major GCC accomplishments as the fruit of the leaders’ efforts.
Leaders of Gulf Arab countries, including those boycotting Qatar, met on Sunday in Saudi Arabia’s capital for a regional summit, a gathering that Qatar’s ruling Amir choose not to attend amid the dispute.
The absence of Qatar’s Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, as well as Qatar’s recent decision to withdraw from the Saudi-dominated OPEC oil cartel, underlined the simmering crisis facing the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Despite mediation efforts by Kuwait, the gap remains between others in the six-nation GCC, an alliance formed in 1981 in part to offer a counterbalance to Iran, and Qatar – countries that are all American allies. The United States, which under President Donald Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal, also has been unable to mend relations even as it wants a unified front for its high-pressure campaign targeting Tehran.
Saudi King Salman greeted GCC leaders Sunday as they descended down a golden escalator at a Riyadh air base and never mentioned Qatar in his remarks to the summit. The king instead spoke about the need to counter Iran, as well as the Kingdom’s ongoing war in Yemen.
“Extremist and terrorist powers continue to threaten our security in the Gulf and in the Arab world,” the king said. “The Iranian regime is continuing its hostile policies and continues to intervene in other nations’ internal affairs.”
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif later tweeted that the “region has had far too many strongmen who have only caused war & misery.”
“What we need is a stronger REGION rather than strongmen,” Zarif wrote, apparently in response to the GCC meeting.
King Salman’s son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, sat prominently behind his father during the summit.
Qatar’s Sheikh Tamim sent Sultan bin Saad al-Muraikhi, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, to represent