ShareKUWAIT: HH the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah kicked off the opening session of the 45th Session of the Supreme Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on Sunday by welcoming the leaders and distinguished guests, extending his sincere thanks to Amir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani for his wise leadership and efforts during the previous summit in Doha.
He added that this gathering, hosted by Kuwait, “is a testament to our unity, an embodiment of the strength of our union, and a reflection of our unwavering belief in the necessity of enhancing and unifying GCC joint action”. “Together, we strive to broaden the scope of cooperation to meet the aspirations of our people, ensuring security, prosperity, and stability for our nations,” he said.
“This necessitates accelerating our efforts to achieve GCC economic integration through unified policies, diversification of non-traditional income sources, facilitation of trade and investment and support for local industries. It is also vital to expand innovation and entrepreneurship, especially in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, to enhance the competitiveness of our economies regionally and globally,” HH the Amir said.
“Our journey toward building an integrated Gulf economy relies on key pillars, foremost among them education,” he indicated. “We aim to nurture the talents of our youth, inspiring them to contribute to the integrated Gulf economy we envision. Since the first GCC summit of Abu Dhabi in 1981, established by my late brother Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the GCC has demonstrated that through unity and solidarity, our nations can achieve prosperity for our people and ensure security,” he added.
“The international community, particularly the UN Security Council, to fulfill its responsibilities by ensuring the implementation of relevant resolutions, halting the violence, providing international protection for innocent civilians and securing safe corridors for urgent humanitarian aid,” HH the Amir told the summit. “We reiterate our unwavering support to Palestine and to end the (Zionist) occupation, attain all their political rights, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with international resolutions,” he stressed.
“We also commend Qatar, Egypt and the US for their mediation efforts in achieving a ceasefire in Gaza and welcome the ceasefire in Lebanon as a step toward de-escalation,” HH the Amir said. “We commend the positive steps expressed by Iran towards the GCC and look forward to resolving outstanding issues and enhancing cooperation in accordance with the UN Charter and international law,” he said. “We reaffirm our commitment to advancing joint Gulf action, meeting the aspirations of our people, and building a bright future of prosperity and stability.”
HH the Amir also stressed that in line with the principle of good neighborliness, dialogue is fundamental in overcoming challenges. “We reaffirm our call to Iraq to rectify the legal status of the agreement regulating maritime navigation in Khor Abdullah, resume the meetings of the technical teams associated with it, and return to work in accordance with the 2008 Security Exchange Protocol,” he said.
“Additionally, we urge the resumption of meetings of the joint legal technical teams to complete the demarcation of the Kuwaiti-Iraqi maritime borders beyond boundary point number 162 in accordance with international law and UN’s Convention on 1982 Law of the Sea,” he said. “We would also like to emphasize our hope that the support of the leaders will ensure the continued follow-up by the Security Council, exclusively, on the issues of prisoners, missing persons and Kuwaiti property, including the national archives, after the expiration of the mandate of the UN’s Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI),” he added.
GCC leaders and representatives then started the closed session to explore cases and projects on the summit’s agenda to issue the concluding statement and the Kuwait Declaration. In the Kuwaiti Declaration, the GCC leaders and representatives affirmed their strong support for the Palestinian cause, emphasizing the importance of Palestinian sovereignty over all lands occupied since June 1967, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. The leaders also praised the increasing role of GCC countries in addressing political and economic challenges, both regionally and globally.
HH the Amir Sheikh Meshal held a luncheon in honor of GCC leaders and representatives before they departed Kuwait. HH the Amir later sent cables expressing appreciation to various ministers and officials. He expressed appreciation to all ministries and government agencies involved in the preparation and organization of the 45th GCC Summit, praising efforts that contributed to the success of the summit. He wished everyone continued success in serving the country. — KUNA
