Manama: Bahrain’s King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa on Tuesday afternoon welcomed the leaders of the other five Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries that will take part in the 37th summit hosted by the island kingdom.
His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, arrived in Bahrain leading the UAE delegation.
Oman’s Deputy Prime Minister for Cabinet Affairs, Sayyid Fahad Bin Mahmoud Al Saeed was the first to arrive in Bahrain, followed by Kuwait’s Emir Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, Qatar’s Emir Shaikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani and Saudi King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud.
The summit, the 37th to be held by the GCC since its establishment in 1981, was scheduled to start later in the day. Bahrain is hosting the annual summit for the sixth time.
British Prime Minister Theresa May will also attend the summit on her first visit to the region since taking over the office in July.
She will be making history as the first British leader and the first woman to attend the summit of the GCC leaders.
May arrived late on Monday and held a meeting with King Hamad who had invited her to the summit during his visit to London in October.
In his meeting with May, Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa highlighted the importance of her visit to the Kingdom and her attendance of the 37th GCC summit as a guest of honour, saying it was a reflection of the long-standing and strategic ties between Bahrain and the United Kingdom, and the wider GCC countries.
As he emphasised the shared commitment to further developing bilateral ties between Bahrain and the UK, celebrating their bicentenary this year, Prince Salman underscored the extensive cooperation between the two countries, noting the wide-ranging opportunities that exist, particularly in economic, strategic and security areas.
Bahrain and the UK’s alignment on various strategic issues has allowed for the expansion of bilateral cooperation and coordination across all sectors, supporting the strategic goals and interests of both countries, he said.
