GCC Summit: An event of important resolutions

KUWAIT: The Gulf Cooperation Council’s (GCC) Summit is seen by many as an event which comes out with important resolutions and vital decisions. Between 1981-2016, the GCC Summit came out with various decisions which contributed to the development of cooperation and security of the Gulf countries. In Abu Dhabi, the UAE, June 1981, the leaders of the six Gulf countries announced the official formation of the GCC. The leaders came out with a resolution which called for a just solution to the Palestinian struggle against the Israeli occupiers. In November of 1981, the GCC Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, agreed on an accord to facilitate economic transactions and business amongst the council’s members. In Manama, Bahrain, the GCC Summit held in 1982 agreed on the establishment of the Gulf Investment Corporation (GIC) at the capital of USD 2.2 billion. The Doha, Qatar, Summit held in 1983, the GCC leaders focused on developing relations and coordinating efforts during the Iran-Iraq War.

In Kuwait’s summit of 1984, the summit agreed on a draft resolution enabling Gulf citizens to acquire realestate in any given GCC countries. In 1985, the Muscat summit in Oman, the GCC leaders agreed on policies to bolster cooperation in the agricultural, education, industrial, environmental, and security domains.

During the Abu Dhabi Summit of 1986, leaders approved of a resolution that allowed GCC citizens to gain loans from banks and funds in each of the Gulf states. The leaders also agreed on an accord to coordinate military cooperation. In the Riyadh Summit of 1987, GCC leaders agreed on a system for petroleum loans for the Gulf countries. In 1988, the GCC Summit in Manama allowed GCC citizens to acquire stocks in joint shareholding companies.

Muscat’s 1989 GCC Summit focused on the recent developments in the occupied Arab lands in Palestine with the advent of the Intifada. The situation in Lebanon after the Tai’f accord and the international developments that year were also discussed during the event.

Iraqi invasion

In 1990, the Doha Summit condemned the heinous Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and expressed solidarity with the Kuwaiti people against their aggressors. The summit called for the immediate withdrawal of Iraqi troops from Kuwait. It also demanded from Iraq to respect international accords and laws.

Kuwait’s 1991 summit saw Gulf leaders discussing the regional status quo after the liberation of Kuwait. The leaders called on Iraq to implement UNSC resolutions regarding the release of Kuwaiti POWs and other nationals from Iraq’s prisons. It also called on Baghdad to implement UNSC resolutions pertinent to compensations for Kuwait. In Emirati capital Abu Dhabi in 1992, GCC leaders lauded UNSC resolution 773 regarding the Iraqi-Kuwaiti borders. They called on Iraq to abide by the decision. In 1993, the Riyadh Summit discussed Iraqi regime’s selective implementation of international resolutions concerning Kuwait. The participants stressed that Baghdad should abide by all decisions in this regard. The GCC leaders lauded the declaration of principles accord between Palestine and Israel which called for a comprehensive and just peace in the Middle East.

Manama’s 1994 GCC summit came out with a resolution to reject all forms of terrorism and extremism. The issue of the spread of weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East and their threat was highlighted in the Muscat Summit of 1995.

The GCC Summit in Doha in 1996 discussed cooperation within the military, security, legal, and media domains. In 1997, the GCC Summit in Kuwait issued resolutions aimed at protecting the environment nuclear pollutants and trash. In Abu Dhabi’s 1998 GCC Summit, the developments of Pan Am Flight 103 Lockerbie bombing was discussed during the event.

The Riyadh Summit in 1999 focused on international economic developments. The GCC leaders called for a unified Gulf front in the global scene. In 2000, the GCC leaders called for speeding the process for the establishment of a joint Gulf customs union and a unified currency.

Muscat’s 2001 Gulf Summit approved a new economic accord for the GCC which replaced the one in the first summit of 1981. The meeting’s participants also approved resolutions to speed up the formation of the customs union and lower customs fees. In 2002, the GCC Summit in Doha focused on program to form a unified monetary union. The meeting expressed its satisfaction over pegging GCC currencies with the US Dollar.

The summit also touched on Iraqi regime’s threats towards Kuwait. Kuwait’s 2003 GCC Summit touched on the war on Iraq, expressing solidarity with the Iraqi people against its regime which ruled for decades. The summit called for measures to link transportation amongst the GCC countries.

Manama’s GCC Summit in 2004, participants called on the UN to coordinate with the interim Iraqi government on the issue of returning Kuwaiti properties stolen since the invasion in 1991. During Abu Dhabi’s 2005 GCC Summit, participants agreed on a unified trade policy for the GCC at the global scene. Late Amir

In Riyadh’s summit of 2006, GCC leaders mourned the late Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad AlJaber Al-Sabah, saying that his death left a huge gap in the hearts of Gulf citizens. The summit approved a GCC system for the protection of trademarks. In 2007, the Doha GCC Summit expressed satisfaction for the efforts to shape the joint Gulf market. The summit touched on measures to regulate retail trading and business.

The GCC Summit held in Muscat Oman in 2008 lauded the efforts to bolster relations between the Saudis and Qataris. The world economic crunch was also on the radar of the summit. In the extraordinary GCC Summit, held in Riyadh in January of 2009, the GCC leaders expressed solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip who were suffering from a barbaric Israeli military assault.

In December of 2009, the GCC Summit in Kuwait focused on bolstering educational and military cooperation. In 2010, the GCC Summit in Abu Dhabi approved a resolution which allowed GCC companies to open branches in each respective Gulf State. The 2011 GCC Summit in Riyadh approved a resolution to allow GCC citizens to use their civil identification cards as an official document to allow them to work in the public and private sectors.

The Manama Summit in 2012 approved a draft resolution to establish a unified military command for GCC land troops, marines’ corps, and air forces. The 2013 GCC Summit in Kuwait, the meeting approved the formation of a united GCC military command. The summit condemned the Assad regimes atrocities against the Syrian people.

Doha’s 2014 GCC Summit called for the establishment of a unified security command for the Gulf polices forces. It also called for efforts to denounced extremism and terror acts. The Riyadh GCC Summit in 2015 called for a peaceful solution to the Syrian and Yemeni crises. The meeting’s participants focused on bolstering military cooperation among Gulf troops.

The GCC Summit in Manama Bahrain in 2016 agreed on a unified payment system in the Gulf countries. The summit tasked banks and financial institutes with the nitty-gritty of the whole process. The meeting also called for intensifying measures to combat commercial fraud. The GCC members also touched on efforts to establish the Gulf railway project as a measure step to link transportation in the region and beyond.