Manama: Bahrain’s Prime Minister has reiterated the significance of the Gulf union in bolstering achievements and success stories in the region.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has succeeded in becoming an outstandingly robust and highly significant entity that is capable of defeating all conspiracies against it, thanks to the awareness of its people, Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa said.

The Gulf union remains the most effective means to protect and increase Gulf accomplishments and gains, the prime minister, one of the most prominent champions of the union between the GCC countries, said in remarks to the GCC ministers of housing in Manama, Bahrain News Agency (BNA) reported.

The GCC, established in Abu Dhabi in 1981, groups Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

At the GCC summit in December 2011, Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz called for moving the GCC from the phase of cooperation to the phase of a union within a single entity.

His call was welcomed by fellow Gulf leaders and a committee was set up to look into the details.

Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have been the most fervent supporters of the union amid calls for starting it with a core of two or three countries while allowing the other GCC states to join at a later stage.

With Bahrain, the current chair of the GCC summit, hosting a series of GCC ministerial meetings, Prince Khalifa has been keen on receiving the Gulf ministers and stressing the significance of the union to thwart lurking threats to the region.

The Premier told the housing ministers that all moves to enhance and consolidate Gulf cooperation would be fully supported by the governments.

Complementarity among Gulf states has moved from the status of priority to the status of necessity in light of the social and security challenges and modern requirements, Prince Khalifa was quoted as saying.

He added that regional and international challenges to the development process in the GCC required conjugated efforts and unified stances to maintain the steady growth and development for the sake of Gulf citizens.

GCC cooperation will be reinforced through the reinvigoration of existing channels as the GCC countries are empowered to meet all challenges, Prince Khalifa said.

The intensification of meetings between GCC officials in order to unify policies and strategies will benefit the people of the region and lay robust foundations for the Gulf union, he said.