Moscow: The six Arabian Gulf countries of GCC and Russia have adopted a joint statement and a joint action plan for 2023-2028 following their meeting, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday, reported the Russian news service TASS.
“Following today’s meeting, a joint statement and a joint plan of action for Russia and the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf for 2023-2028 were adopted. These documents will be in the public domain,” the top diplomat told a news conference after the sixth round of the Russia-GCC strategic dialogue.
“On the whole, we consider the strategic dialogue a good way to give additional impetus to our business cooperation, strengthen bilateral political coordination and, of course, our multilateral relations in the interests of establishing stability and good neighborliness in that region,” Lavrov said.
Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar, UAE’s Minister of State, participated in the meeting held in Moscow, alongside foreign ministers from the GCC states and the Secretary-General of the Council. The action plan agreed upon addresses cooperation between the GCC and Russia, while the joint statement outlines positions on developments in regional and international political issues.
Additionally, Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, the Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs, met with Minister Lavrov to discuss the strategic cooperation and friendly relations between the two nations. They explored ways to enhance and develop these relationships further, consolidating efforts on numerous files of common interest.
Lavrov emphasized Russia’s commitment to developing dialogue and strengthening cooperation with GCC countries, stressing the shared capabilities to develop strategic cooperation.
The meeting’s discussions covered a range of topics, including the situation in Ukraine, the issue of grain supplies from Ukraine and Russia, and several regional and international files.
The Secretary-General of the GCC, Jassim Muhammad Al-Budaiwi, expressed the GCC countries’ interest in extending the grain deal, which he believed would mitigate the humanitarian consequences of the crisis and respond to food challenges.
The GCC is a regional organization bringing together six countries: Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Saudi Arabia. It was established in 1981.
The main goals of the organization are political coordination and economic integration between the member states, as well as interaction to ensure regional security and defense in the Persian Gulf. The first meeting of the Russia-GCC strategic dialogue, initiated in 2016, was held in the Saudi capital in 2017.