Council crucial to regional security and prosperity, Kuwait leader says

Manama: Kuwait's Emir Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah on Sunday said that the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) was "one of the most important regional organisations" seeking to achieve greater security, stability and prosperity.

"There is an increasing importance for the GCC states to achieve regional security and stability, where the immense natural resources that Almighty Allah has bestowed on the GCC countries and the efficiency of the member states in activating global economy has made international and regional organisations seek to cooperate with the GCC countries," Shaikh Sabah told Kuwait News Agency a day before the start of the 30th GCC summit.

"One of the prominent examples of cooperation was the dialogue launched with the European Union, which began with the establishment of the core of the Gulf Cooperation Council, and was then followed by dialogues with other economic blocs and countries of economic significance, as well as international organisations like the United Nations, the World Trade Organisation, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund," he said.

GCC foreign ministers held regular meetings with their counterparts in other regional blocs, such as Latin America, the African Union, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and the EU as well as with major countries such as the United States, China, Japan and Russia, to discuss cooperation and to coordinate stances on political, economic and social issues.

In his assessment of the GCC role in tackling political challenges in the Gulf and the Middle East in the 30 years since its establishment, Shaikh Sabah said that one reason for the GCC establishment was "to bring political security and stability to the region," explaining that the region has often been subjected to external threats.

The GCC has been "in harmony with its goals, and reflected the aspirations of the people during times of danger that passed through the region," he said.

"The GCC is proactive in dealing with political challenges ... while reflecting on the means to bring stability and development to our Arab world, and to save our region from the woes of conflicts and external intervention," he said.