Amir set for GCC summit – Unity sought

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KUWAIT CITY, Dec 3, (Agencies): His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah visited Al-Tahrir Hall at Bayan Palace on Sunday, to check on preparations for the 38th Session of the Supreme Council of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) from Dec 5 to 6. During his tour, His Highness the Amir was accompanied by His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al- Jaber Al-Sabah.

Upon arrival, His Highness Sheikh Sabah was received by Deputy Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah and the Amiri Diwan Administrative and Financial Chief Abdulaziz Saud Ishaq. His Highness the Amir was also accompanied by First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Sabah Al- Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs and Acting Minister of Information Sheikh Mohammad Al-Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah and senior officials at the Amiri Diwan and His Highness the Crown Prince’s Diwan.

Meanwhile, Kuwait’s First Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al- Hamad Al-Sabah held talks with visiting GCC Secretary-General Abdullatif Al-Zayani on preparations for the ministerial meeting of the GCC’s 38th Summit. Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled and Al-Zayani, who met at Bayan Palace, discussed preparations for the summit that would be hosted by Kuwait this week, a foreign ministry statement said.

The meeting was attended by Assistant Foreign Minister for the minister’s office Ambassador Sheikh Dr Ahmad Nasser Al-Sabah, Assistant Foreign Minister for Protocols Dhari Al-Ajran, Assistant Foreign Minister for the GCC Nasser Al-Muzayyen, Assistant Foreign Minister for Deputy Foreign Minister’s office Ayham Al-Omar, and Deputy Assistant Foreign Minister for minister’s office Saleh Al-Loughani. Al-Zayani was accompanied by his Assistants. Head of Al-Roudhan family Roudhan Khaled Al-Roudhan has lauded the efforts exerted by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad in rallying GCC leaders to attend the GCC Summit that will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday despite the sensitive situation the region is currently facing, reports Al-Anba daily.

Al-Roudhan explained that the GCC Summit refl ects optimism to restore the GCC fabric through the attendance of all member states, avoid the suspension of GCC summits, and retain the bloc which the GCC people have gambled on. He is of the view that the summit will dissolve the ice of differences among the GCC brothers. Qatari Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani will attend the annual summit of Gulf Arab heads of state in Kuwait on Dec 5 and 6, Qatar’s foreign minister told reporters on Sunday, despite a deep dispute within the group. Leaders or their representatives will arrive in the State of Kuwait to partake in the 38th Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit due here on Tuesday in a step aimed at continuing the legacy of the grand meeting. The GCC Summit was held on 37 occasions since 1981 with the first one in Abu Dhabi, UAE, in May.

The second summit was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on November of 1981 while the third and fourth meetings were held in Manama, Bahrain, and Doha, Qatari, in 1982 and 1983 respectively. The fifth Gulf Summit was held in Kuwait in 1984 while the Omani capital Muscat hosted the sixth event in 1985.

From 1986-1989, the seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth summits were held in Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Manama, Muscat. In 1990, Doha hosted the 11th summit followed by Kuwait hosting the 12th summit, and Abu Dhabi hosting the 13th event in 1992. The 14th, 15th, 16th, and 17th GCC Summits were held between 1993 and 1996 in Riyadh, Manama, Muscat, and Doha. In 1997 and 1998, Kuwait and Abu Dhabi respectively hosted the 18th and 19th GCC Summits while in 1999 and 2000, the Saudi and Bahraini capitals, Riyadh and Manama respectively, hosted the 20th and 21st Summits. From 2001 until 2016, the GCC capitals took turns in hosting the GCC Summits. The 2004 Manama-hosted 25th GCC summit was named after late Sheikh Zayed Al Nuhayyan whereas the 26th summit in Abu Dhabi in 2005 was named after late Saudi King Fahd bin Abdulaziz.

The State of Kuwait will be hosting the 38th Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit on Dec 5-6, continuing a long legacy of Gulf brotherhood and friendship. Since 1981, Kuwait hosted six summits out of the 37 gatherings held throughout the years. The GCC Summits main aim is to bolster cooperation amongst the members of the council on all possible levels. Kuwait hosted the summit on six occasions in 1984, 1991, 1997, 2003, 2009, and 2013. The summits resulted in several resolutions contributing to the development of cooperation and security among GCC members.

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