The 40th Gulf Summit began in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, today, Tuesday, chaired by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz, in the presence of the Emir of Kuwait, Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, and the King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa, while the leaders of Qatar, the Sultanate of Oman and the UAE are absent from it.
The delegation of the State of Qatar is headed at this summit by Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, while the delegation of the Sultanate of Oman is headed by Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Saeed, Deputy Prime Minister of Oman, and the UAE delegation is headed by Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, Mohammed bin Rashid.
The Saudi king said at the beginning of the opening session that the region "is undergoing circumstances and challenges that call for a concerted effort to confront them, as the Iranian regime continues its hostilities to undermine security and stability and support terrorism."
He added that those conditions "require us to preserve the gains of our nations and the interests of our peoples, and work with the international community to stop the interference of this regime."
King Salman bin Abdulaziz stressed that the Gulf Cooperation Council "managed, thanks to God, since its foundation, to overcome the crises that the region has gone through."
"We affirm our position on the Palestinian issue and the right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital," he added.
He valued the efforts of the Yemeni brothers, led by the Yemeni government, in reaching the Riyadh agreement, and stressed, "The coalition continues to support the Yemeni people and its government, and the importance of a political solution in Yemen according to the three references."
The Gulf Crisis
Kuwaiti Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Al-Jarallah said that his country has not stopped optimism about resolving the Gulf crisis, adding that the steps for reconciliation and channels to end the dispute are moving in a positive direction, according to steady and advanced steps.
The Kuwaiti official stressed that he is not at all concerned about the atmosphere that accompanies efforts to end the dispute, and that he is optimistic that this dispute will be part of the past soon.
The Secretary-General of the Cooperation Council, Abdul Latif Al-Zayani, told the Saudi News Agency that the fortieth session "is a clear indication of the leaders’ keenness to regularize the Gulf summits in order to preserve the cooperation system that days and events have confirmed as a coherent system capable of overcoming difficulties and challenges. "
Al-Zayani added - according to what was reported by the General Secretariat of the Cooperation Council - that the next stage will witness "a significant development in developing the relations of the Cooperation Council with many countries and global blocs, including the resumption of free trade negotiations and the strengthening of strategic partnerships with friendly countries."