Milestone meet

The leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) yesterday issued the ‘Riyadh Declaration’ following the conclusion of the 36th GCC Summit. 

According to the document, the GCC leaders reviewed the march of the joint GCC action as well as the political, social and economic changes facing the world and their direct impacts on the GCC states during the 36th Summit of the GCC Supreme Council.

Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Dr Abdullatif Al Zayani said that it was now time to double efforts to continue the significant steps that were initiated by the council since its inception towards integration and communications among its States and people as well as to raise the status of the council at the regional and international arena to achieve the sought objectives.

The declaration added that the wise perspectives of the Custodian of the Two Mosques concerning consolidation of integration among the GCC states, agreed upon by the GCC leaders in this summit, was among the top priorities of the joint GCC action for the next round.

It said 13 years since the establishment of the customs union of the GCC states in January 2003, which was a significant step in the history of the council, it is now more critical to end the transitional phase in 2016 as the leaders have agreed on the completion of what has remained of that matter.

After seven years since the establishment of the GCC common market based on total equality in treatment of all GCC nationals in all economic spheres, it has been agreed to complete steps of implementation of the market, and to make things easy.

It has also been agreed on the formation of the judicial authority, which has become a pressing issue where the GCC leaders are keen on finishing that up by next year.

The declaration also said that it has been agreed on speeding up completion of the economic legislation system, which would help in narrowing and unifying the legal environment in the GCC States.

It noted to the placement of the all GCC offices, organisations and institutions under the umbrella of the GCC General Secretariat under the supervision of the ministerial council and the ministerial committees concerned.

It also pointed to speeding up the pace of implementation of the decisions of the Supreme Council to assist the GCC nationals benefit from integrated steps adopted by the Supreme Council.

The wise leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques also aims at consolidating the international status of the GCC and its role in the regional and international issues as well as the establishment of economic and strategic partnerships that would benefit the
GCC citizens.

The GCC States also stressed their supportive positions towards the Arab and international issues and their keenness on continuing to extend a helping hand to the needy people.

It asserted the GCC States’ supportive stance towards the restoration of legitimacy in Yemen, political solution to the Syrian crisis and fighting terrorism.