GCC 40th summit concludes with 'Riyadh Declaration'

RIYADH: The 40th Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit concluded yesterday with Secretary General Abdulatif Al-Zayani reading the 'Riyadh Declaration'. It emphasizes necessity to protect maritime of the Arabian Gulf from any threats, as the council notes measures taken by Saudi Arabia to protect its oil facilities, which stems from the Kingdom's keenness of a stable oil market, both for producing and consuming countries. "Any aggression on a GCC member state is an aggression on all member states," the Declaration reads. It also underlines the importance of achieving economic unity and customs integration, which would serve the Gulf's political and security coordination in light of regional and international variables.

The vision of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, laid the foundations for the integration system among GCC countries in all fields, which requires completion of procedures needed to guarantee intactness of member states' sovereignty and safety of their territorial waters, as well as economic areas in accordance with the joint defense treaty, the Declaration points out. The summit discussed a host of important issues of interest for the GCC march, in addition to reports and recommendations forwarded by the ministerial committees and action teams with regard to political, economic, social and legal aspects. It also reviewed a number of current regional and international issues and regional developments. - KUNA