Saudi Arabia’s King Salman welcomes participation of Gulf leaders in GCC summit

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman is looking forward to welcoming the leaders of the other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries at the 41st session of the organization’s Supreme Council, which will begin in AlUla on Jan. 5, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.

Speaking as he chaired the weekly cabinet meeting, the king said he hopes that the summit will succeed in promoting joint action and expanding cooperation and integration among member states in all fields.

The Council of Ministers also discussed the outcome of the first meeting of the Saudi-Bahraini Coordination Council, which was held under the chairmanship of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and his Bahraini counterpart, Salman bin Hamad.

The members stressed the “Kingdom’s interest in pushing bilateral relations with Bahrain to more comprehensive heights and developing them in all fields,” according to the SPA report.

They also discussed the results of a meeting of the Saudi-Russian Joint Governmental Committee for Commercial, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation.

“The meeting emphasized the importance of the high-level Saudi-Russian strategic framework, and the need to continue working on expanding and strengthening cooperation in a number of areas to advance bilateral relations, facilitate investments in joint ventures that include a wide range of industries and joint production of high-tech products,” the report stated.

The two sides agreed to reaffirm their commitment to the cooperation agreement between oil-producing countries and to the OPEC+ declaration to support the stability of global oil markets.

The cabinet also congratulated Saudi Aramco for the discovery of four new oil and gas fields, and praised the energy minister and the state oil company for their efforts in “exploration and production activities that support economic diversification in the Kingdom.”

The ministers said the Kingdom welcomes the formation of a new government in Yemen “that includes all components of the Yemeni spectrum,” and the implementation of the Riyadh Agreement by the nation’s internationally recognized government and the Southern Transitional Council.

Saudi Arabia called on other countries and financial and international organizations to urgently respond to Sudan’s needs, and begin forgiving its debts, following the Trump administration’s announcement that it is removing the country from the US list of nations sponsoring terrorism.

The cabinet also condemned “terrorist attacks on vital installations,” the latest example of which was an assault using a booby-trapped boat on a commercial ship transporting fuel in Jeddah.

It said that “these criminal and sabotaging acts target international security” and maritime navigation, and destabilize energy supplies, adding that the international community must take steps to deter terrorist groups and the governments that support them.