GCC leaders reaffirm focus on ‘indivisible security’

On the concluding day of the 46th summit in Bahrain on Wednesday, leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GGC) reaffirmed their indivisible security bond rooted in common faith, lineage and language.

Making it clear that religious security is paramount, the council released a statement that read, “Respecting the sovereignty of GCC states and all countries of the region, noninterference in their internal affairs and rejecting the use of force or the threat thereof. Any infringement on a member state’s sovereignty was a direct threat to their collective security.”

According to Arab News, GCC Secretary Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi said that Gulf states are united in their support for Qatar following separate attacks by Iran and Israel amid the conflict in Gaza.

“The Iranian missile attack targeting the US Al-Udeid Air Base in June was a rejected aggression, a clear violation of its sovereignty, airspace and the principles of good neighbourliness,” he said.

He also criticised Israel’s attack on Hamas in September this year. “The brutal Israeli aggression … represented a blatant assault on international efforts aimed at a ceasefire and the release of hostages,” Albudaiwi said.

Gulf leaders welcomed the outcomes of the Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit in October and international efforts to end the Gaza war, facilitate humanitarian aid and support an independent Palestinian state along the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in alignment with the two-state solution and the Arab Peace Initiative.

They said that their goal was to consolidate a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle East, while also working to resolve regional and international conflicts through peaceful means.

Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al-Khalifa said that the summit addressed regional issues and various methods to enhance GCC solidarity and integration.

Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah said the GCC had overcome complex regional and international circumstances and reiterated the GCC’s condemnation of Israel’s aggression toward Qatar.

The leaders emphasised the goal of making the Middle East free from nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction. They highlighted the efforts of joint naval forces headquartered in Bahrain to enhance energy security, protect maritime navigation and safeguard international trade.