Manama: Bahrain and Kuwait said the formidable challenges to the region require the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to work together and implement the initiatives that consolidate their alliance.
All endeavours should reflect the active pursuit by all countries of a common goal that preserves the security and stability of the region, Kuwait’s Emir Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah and Bahrain’s Prime Minister Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa said in Kuwait City where they held talks on Sunday.
The GCC, founded in 1981, comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud in 2011 called for moving the GCC from the phase of cooperation to the phase of union, arguing that the increasing challenges to the region required such a step.
The call was welcomed by the six member countries, but some members asked for more time to look into it.
Shaikh Sabah and Prince Khalifa said that cooperation among the GCC states needed to rise to the levels of the security threats and development risks in the region, Bahrain News Agency (BNA) reported.
In a statement upon his arrival in Kuwait, Prince Khalifa said that his visit was to review with the Kuwaiti leaders ways to reinforce cooperation and coordination.
All GCC countries must work together to confront the political, economic and security challenges and must avoid any situations that could divide them, he said.
The GCC last year witnessed its worst diplomatic crisis when Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE pulled their ambassadors out of Qatar to protest against Doha’s interference in their internal affairs and its support to the Muslim Brotherhood, considered as a terrorist organisation. Qatar denied the charges and said that it was fully committed to the GCC.
The diplomatic row ended in November with the signing of an extension of the Riyadh Agreement, endorsed in April, that stipulated a set of details to be upheld within the GCC.
Saudi King Abdullah and Shaikh Sabah have been credited with major roles in reaching the agreement that brought the six GCC countries together again and paved the way for the GCC summit in Doha on December 9.
In his arrival statement, Prince Khalifa paid tribute to King Abdullah and Shaikh Sabah for their role and highlighted the willingness of the GCC leaders to commit themselves to the full implementation of the agreement.
However, he insisted on the significance of the GCC pledge to respect the media accords “in order to deprive antagonistic media of any chance to undermine the historic agreement,” BNA said.
Prince Khalifa, in his statement, warned that the fast-paced developments in the unstable region would become dangerously ominous should the GCC countries fail to work together and to put ahead collective interests ahead of individual interests.
