The 40th meeting of the Supreme Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which concluded in Riyadh, capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, earlier today, December 10, 2019, issued this evening a final communique of its deliberations as follows:
"At akind invitation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman binAbdulaziz Al Saud, King of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Supreme Council ofthe GCC held in Riyadh today its 40th session, under the chairmanship of theCustodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, King ofthe Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with the participation of each of His HighnessSheikh Mohammed bin Rashed Al Maktoum Vice President of the United Arab Emirates,Prime Minister of the UAE and Governor of Dubai; His Majesty King Hamad bin IsaAl Khalifa, King of the Kingdom of Bahrain; His Highness Fahd bin Mahmoud AlSaeed, Deputy Prime Minister for Cabinet Affairs of the Sultanate of Oman; HisExcellency Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, Prime Minister andMinister of Interior of the State of Qatar; His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-AhmedAl-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of the State of Kuwait; and His Excellency Dr.Abdullatif bin Rashed Al-Zayani, Secretary General of the Gulf CooperationCouncil.
1- TheSupreme Council congratulated the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salmanbin Abdulaziz Al Saud, King of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on assuming thepresidency of the current 40th meeting of the Supreme Council, expressingappreciation of the monarch for the keenness and interest shown in his openingspeech for activation of the GCC march in all fields.
2- TheSupreme Council expressed its deep appreciation of and gratitude to SultanQaboos bin Said, the Sultan of Oman, and his esteemed government for the greatsincere efforts made during the period of the presidency of the Sultanate ofOman of the 39th session of the Supreme Council, which resulted in implementingimportant steps and achievements. The Council congratulated the United ArabEmirates on taking over the coming presidency, wishing the UAE all success inconsolidating the GCC march in all fields.
3- TheSupreme Council affirmed its keenness on the strength, cohesion, and solidityof the Gulf Cooperation Council, and the unity of ranks among its members, dueto the special relations and common features between them based on the Islamicbelief, the Arab culture, the common fate and the unity of purpose that combineits peoples as well as its desire to achieve more coordination, integration andinterdependence among them in all fields through the blessed march of the GulfCooperation Council, in a way that fulfills the aspirations of GCC citizens.The Supreme Council affirms that its countries stand together in the face ofany threat to any of the GCC countries.
4- TheSupreme Council hails the good endeavors and sincere efforts made by EmirSheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah of the State of Kuwait to mend fencesthat marred relations between the member states. The Council expressed itssupport for these efforts and the importance of continuing them within theframework of the solo Gulf House. The Supreme Council congratulated the Emir ofthe State of Kuwait on the success of the medical tests he has recentlyundegone, wishing him every health and wellness.
5- Theleaders affirm the necessity of implementing all decisions of the SupremeCouncil and inked agreements within the framework of the Gulf CooperationCouncil according to their specific timetables and commitment to their contentsdue to their importance in protecting the security of the member states,maintaining their stability, ensuring their safety and the interests of theircitizens, and creating a stable economic and social environment that enhancesthe well-being of the GCC citizens.
6- TheSupreme Council affirms that the sabotage attack on the oil supply facilitiesto the international markets in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in September 2019was directed at the international energy supplies, which is a continuation ofthe previous aggressive acts against Aramco's pumping stations by Iranianweapons. The Council called upon the international community to assume itsresponsibilities to condemn those behind these attacks and confront theseterrorist acts that affect the global economy, praising the Kingdom of SaudiArabia's invitation to the international experts from the United Nations to getreassured on the facts and participate in the investigations. The SupremeCouncil affirms that the GCC states support the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia'sprocedures in the light of the outcomes of those investigations in order toensure its security and stability.
7- TheSupreme Council directs the competent authorities of the member states, withinthe framework of the Gulf Cooperation Council, to complete all necessarymeasures to ensure the security and safety of their territories, territorialwaters and economic areas, stressing the importance of the role of theinternational community in preserving freedom of navigation in the Arabian Gulfand international straits against any threat. The council also praises theUnited States' efforts to strengthen its military presence in the region forthis purpose.
