Dubai: In the first meeting since the popular Arab uprisings across the Middle East and North Africa, the leaders of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will hold their annual summit in Riyadh next week.
The political turmoil in several countries and strained relations with Iran are expected to be high on the agenda of the meeting on December 19-20.
President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan yesterday received an invitation to the summit from Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz.
"All topics will find a place on the agenda," said Sa'ad Al Ammar, Assistant GCC Secretary-General for Political Affairs. "Undoubtedly, the situation in Arab countries, the region and the world, as well as any issue related to the region will be on the agenda," he told Gulf News.
Asked whether there will be a dominating issue, Al Ammar said it is up to the leaders to focus on a certain topic. But "what distinguishes the [upcoming] summit is the situation in which it is being held — changes around the world — political, financial and even environmental," he added.
The summit is the first since the Arab Spring ousted three leaders in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.
Regional security
Under these circumstances, safeguarding regional security will be among the topics on the table, as well as issues in the field of military cooperation and security affairs, observers said.
Relations with Iran, which Gulf countries accuse of interfering in their affairs, is also expected to be among the main topics.
The leaders are expected to discuss cooperation with both Jordan and Morocco, the two countries the Gulf bloc decided to boost its cooperation with, officials have told Gulf News.
