Jeddah: Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) for Arab States Jassem Mohamed Albudaiwi considered holding the summit of GCC and the countries of Central Asia as the cornerstone of founding relations with them, an actual indicator of rapprochement and partnership, and a door to big opportunities, cooperation, and exchange of experiences.

In his speech during the summit Wednesday in Jeddah, Albudaiwi clarified that the General Secretariat recently initiated a strategic dialogue with the countries of Central Asia, and the Ministerial Council has approved a plan for strategic dialogue and partnership between the two sides and ordered the conclusion of memoranda of understanding and the development of plans for joint action.

The General Secretariat hosted the first joint ministerial meeting of the strategic dialogue between the GCC and Central Asian countries in September 2022, with the participation of Saudi and Central Asian foreign ministers.

The GCC Secretary-General thanked the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, for the Kingdom’s hosting this first historic summit.

Albudaiwi indicated that the summit tackled both sides' views on regional and international issues. Representatives of both regions unanimously agreed on the importance of coordinating political positions and cooperation in international forums.

The joint action plan between GCC and Central Asian countries was approved, including a dialogue covering all fields and the objectives and mechanisms of achievement.

Also, several preliminary meetings were held between the two sides most notably a meeting on economy, trade and investment in addition to culture and media, health cooperation, and youth affairs and sports.

Albudaiwi stated that the GCC will provide all necessary support to open dialogue channels with the Central Asian countries.