Leaders and Heads of Delegations of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) for Arab States convened the 41st session of the GCC Supreme Council Tuesday at Maraya Concert Hall in in the Saudi Arabian governorate of Al-Ula.
Upon their arrival at the Hall, they were received by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Defense.
All six delegations from the Gulf Cooperation Council (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and Bahrain) have signed the final communique and the Al-Ula declaration, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
The special summit this year marks a new shift in relations with Qatar, whose Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani arrived on a Qatar Airways plane and was greeted by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani on the sidelines of the GCC summit in Al-Ula on Tuesday, SPA added.
During the meeting, they reviewed the bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries, and ways to enhance joint Gulf action, SPA noted.
The UAE, along with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt, had severed diplomatic, trade and transport ties with Qatar in June 2017.
The Saudi Crown Prince said during the summit there was an urgent need for Gulf countries to unite their efforts, especially in the face of the Iranian threat in the region.
“We urgently need to unite our efforts to confront the challenges that surround us, particularly the threats posed by the Iranian regime’s nuclear program, its ballistic missile program, and the destructive projects adopted by its proxies through terrorist and sectarian activities to destabilize the security and stability of the region,” the Crown Prince stressed.
Secretary General of the Arab League Ahmed Abulghaith lauded the outcomes of the GCC Supreme Council’s Summit. In a press statement following his participation in the 41st GCC summit, Abulghaith said that any effective movement that leads to purifying Arab atmospheres and pours in the interest of the Arab collective system is welcome as it enhances the power of the Arab League and its leverage in its region.
He added that the great challenges facing the Arab world, necessitate unifying the Arab countries ranks as soon as possible and achieving rapprochement among brothers. He further urged for building on Al-Ula summit outcomes through enhancing confidence.
The summit in Al-Ula came a day after Saudi Arabia reopened its airspace and land and sea borders to Qatar.
The United Arab Emirates delegation was headed by Vice President Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid while Oman’s delegation was led by Deputy Prime Minister Fahd bin Mahmoud al-Said. The Kingdom of Bahrain was headed by Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad
Kuwait, who has played a major role as mediator between the boycotting countries and Qatar for the past several years, sent its Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah.
