H.E. Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani chaired on Sunday the 160th ministerial meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), held in Doha.

H.E. the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs noted that holding this meeting emphasizes the keenness of the GCC countries and their aspirations to achieve fruitful achievements and outcomes to advance joint Gulf action to accomplish greater cooperation and strategic and developmental integration among the fraternal Gulf countries.

In his opening speech at the meeting, His Excellency said that regional and global challenges require the GCC countries to make diligent efforts to address their impacts at the political, security, and economic levels, adding that the ongoing Israeli aggression against Gaza for 8 months comes at the top of those challenges, representing a turning point in the history of the Middle East and the world. His Excellency added that the world is still witnessing the inability of the international community to stop this barbaric war that led to the death of more than 36,000 people and the injury of thousands of Palestinian brethren as a result of the brutal Israeli aggression.

His Excellency added that addressing those challenges requires intensifying regional and international efforts to keep pressuring for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, as it represents the core from which all other crises emerged, most notably the tensions in the Red Sea.

H.E. the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs indicated that to avoid these jeopardies surrounding the entire region, the State of Qatar has worked since last October alongside its regional and international partners to achieve a permanent ceasefire and contain the crisis to avoid opening other firing fronts in the region.

His Excellency said that Qatar is seeking by all efforts and means to ensure security and stability in the region, affirming the State of Qatar's firm stance on the justice of the Palestinian cause, the legitimate rights of the fraternal Palestinian people, and the establishment of their independent state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

His Excellency said that the GCC council is capable of overcoming such challenges amid this bleak picture of the regional and global situation. His Excellency pointed out that the GCC countries are characterized by strategic status and importance at the regional and international levels, embodied in the cooperation and constructive consultation that has been achieved to activate partnerships with friendly countries and other regional and international groups.

H.E. Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani pointed out that the GCC countries have worked tirelessly to strengthen relations and strategic dialogues in the political, security, economic, and commercial fields, in addition to the various environmental and development fields. In that regard, His Excellency said that these policies were evident in the GCC council's vision for regional security, which was adopted by the Ministerial Council last December in Doha, which included an action program to strengthen collective security and safety and seek to calm tensions in the region.

His Excellency began his speech by congratulating Their Majesties and Highnesses, leaders of the GCC countries, on the occasion of the 43rd anniversary of the founding of the GCC council, under their leadership and wise guidance, which aspires to achieve the aspirations of Gulf countries and peoples.

On the sidelines of the Gulf ministerial meeting, two separate joint ministerial meetings were held between the GCC countries, with each of the Republic of Turkiye and the Republic of Yemen.

Source and cover image credit: Qatar News Agency

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Cassandra Pallagud

Content Writer

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