The member sates of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have expressed opinion on various international issues with a unified voice particularly expressing grave concerns on unending Israeli barbaric actions against innocent Palestinians.
The 160th ministerial meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), held in Doha on Sunday with Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani in the chair, called for a positive and serious response to the US President Joe Biden’s announcement of the agreement reached regarding the ceasefire and Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, the release of hostages and detainees, the safe return of displaced persons to their homes, and the provision of adequate humanitarian aid to civilians.
On the sidelines of the Gulf ministerial meeting, two separate joint ministerial meetings were also held between the GCC countries, with each of the Republic of Turkiye and the Republic of Yemen. The Ministerial Council also condemned the continued Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip, stressing that the GCC stands by the brotherly Palestinian people during the current developments in the Gaza Strip and its surroundings, demanding an immediate and permanent ceasefire and halt of Israeli military operations.
The Ministerial Council held Israel legally responsible before the international community for its ongoing violations and attacks against innocent civilians, which resulted in the killing of thousands of civilians in the Gaza Strip, most of them women and children, in violation of international law and international humanitarian law. The GCC countries leaders stressed the importance of ending the siege imposed on the Strip and to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people, and calling on the international community to take a serious and resolute stance to provide protection for civilians in the Gaza Strip.
The Ministerial Council affirmed the continued strengthening of cooperation and integration among member states in order to implement the decisions of the Supreme Council regarding finalizing the requirements for completing the Customs Union by the end of 2024, and implementing complete equality of treatment among citizens of the Cooperation Council countries in the areas of the GCC common market. The Ministerial Council approved the Real Estate Stimulus Guide in the GCC countries, and the Guide to Evaluating the Resilience of Cities in the Field of Housing in the GCC Countries, as two guidelines.
The Ministerial Council expressed unified stance on different regional and international issues including Sudan, Libya, Yemen, Syria, Iraq as well as ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. The Council emphasised its firm positions and decisions towards terrorism and extremism, regardless of their source, rejecting all its forms and manifestations, and rejecting its motives and justifications, working to dry up its sources of financing, and supporting international efforts to combat terrorism.
