Kuwait’s Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah has stressed the need of cooperation between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states to face growing threats and challenges.
“We are all aware of the conditions around us, and unfortunately, of their deterioration that represents a serious challenge to us all,” Sheikh Sabah said as he opened the 11th meeting of Chairpersons and Speakers of the GCC Shoura, representative councils and national assemblies in Kuwait City on Monday.
“The situation is compounded with the obstacles that affect the GCC’s forward-looking progress, and this demands that we cooperate, consult and meet at all levels. We cannot confront these challenges individually. Working together is the way forward to solve the standoff and the best way to protect us in dealing with the challenges in order to preserve the achievements of our people and countries.”
Sheikh Sabah highlighted the important decisions taken at the 38th GCC Summit hosted by Kuwait in December and which brought together the six members – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for the first time since a major crisis broke out within the alliance in June.
Kuwait has led mediation efforts to bridge the gap between the two sides, but no success or incremental breakthrough has been achieved so far.
At the two-day gathering, the Kuwaiti leader said that such events brought GCC citizens closer together.
He added that the GCC leaders had the responsibility to meet the needs and fulfill the hopes of their people by cooperating with one another to set a road map for development, amidst a multitude of growing challenges in the region.
The GCC states had accomplished prominent achievements in the last four decades in representing the Gulf region on an international level, Sheikh Sabah added.
However, parliaments and people’s councils should also contribute decisively, he said, according to Kuwait News Agency (Kuna).
“Your role as representatives of the citizens of the GCC states is vital, constructive and complementary to the role of the official bodies in our countries. You are the legislative bodies of our countries, which helps to map out the road for development, construction and communication under these delicate circumstances that demand full awareness of their dimensions and risks. What brings us together is far too important to be impacted negatively by a difference no matter how long it lasts,” Sheikh Sabah said.
Speaker of the Council of Representatives, Ahmed bin Ibrahim Al-Mulla extended thanks to the Kuwaiti Amir, government and people for hosting the GCC parliamentary meeting, and for their role in strengthening GCC unity.
Al-Mulla praised the Kuwaiti Amir’s initiatives and keenness to strengthen unity and cohesion among GCC countries, stressing that Sheikh Sabah is the “Amir of the GCC march, and the Amir of humanitarian work.”
The speaker lauded the joint efforts exerted to consolidate relations between the two countries at all levels, praising the unlimited support of GCC leaders and their efforts to enhance joint GCC action.

Source:Arabnews