GCC leaders reaffirm ‘indivisible security’ bond at Bahrain summit Previous

LONDON: Leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council reaffirmed their indivisible security bond rooted in common faith, lineage, language and a shared destiny at the conclusion of the 46th session of the Supreme Council at Al-Sakhir Palace in Bahrain.

The delegates declared that the security of GCC states was indivisible and that any infringement on a member state’s sovereignty was a direct threat to their collective security.

“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,” they said in a statement.

GCC Secretary Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi said that Gulf states united in their support for Qatar following separate attacks on it this year 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 neighborliness,” he said.

Israel launched an airstrike targeting Hamas figures in Doha in September, which killed six people, including a Qatari citizen.

“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.

Albudaiwi praised Saudi Arabia and France for co-chairing a September conference in New York, which led to recognition of Palestinian statehood by several countries, including the UK, Canada and Australia. He also commended the persistent efforts of Qatar, Egypt and Turkiye in facilitating the discussions that led to the Gaza agreement.