GCC unveils vision for regional security

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has launched its Vision for Regional Security during a ceremony at the group's General Secretariat in Riyadh. This landmark initiative, presented by Jasem Albudaiwi, Secretary General of the GCC, signifies a profound commitment to ethical values and unity, aiming to build a hopeful and prosperous future for the region.

The Vision for Regional Security, highlighted by Albudaiwi as more than just a political commitment, is founded on the principles of dialogue, cooperation, coordination, and respect for diverse perspectives. These principles are deemed essential for confronting challenges and ensuring the common security upon which the GCC's aspirations for a better future are based.

The ceremony, attended by senior officials from the foreign ministries of GCC countries, diplomats, and experts, marks a pivotal step toward achieving international security and peace.

The GCC's dedication to tackling political, security, and economic challenges both regionally and globally was reiterated, emphasizing the importance of collective action and sincere will in establishing lasting peace.

Albudaiwi outlined the vision's strategic objectives, which focus on preserving regional security, ensuring stability and prosperity, promoting international peace, and fostering economic and environmental sustainability. The vision comprises several pillars, including security and stability, economic development, and environmental and climate change, addressing a wide array of challenges from geopolitical shifts to cultural and social issues.

This vision represents a call to action for all parties to collaborate toward a secure and prosperous future, reinforcing the GCC's role as a reliable partner in political, security, and economic spheres on the global stage.

GCC Summit in Doha

Yet another meeting of Arab countries is being held today. These countries have failed miserably in stopping Israeli genocide. There are talks and talks but no action. Over 15,000 people, mostly women and children have been killed and killing is going unabated.  

The Gaza conflict and other major developments in the region will figure high at the 44th summit session of the Supreme Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, which will be held in the Qatari capital Doha on Tuesday.

Leaders from the six member states of GCC will attend the summit, set to be held at a time when the region is witnessing Israel’s military aggression on the Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip. The leaders will also discuss major international developments.

The 158th preparatory meeting of the GCC foreign ministers held on Sunday finalized the agenda of the summit. Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan led the Saudi delegation that attended the ministerial meeting.

The ministerial meeting was chaired by Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who is also chairman of the current session of the Ministerial Council.

Foreign ministers of the GCC states and GCC Secretary General Jasem Albudaiwi attended the meeting.

The ministers discussed a number of reports regarding the follow-up to the implementation of the decisions of the 43rd summit of the GCC Supreme Council held in Riyadh, as well as memorandums and reports submitted by the ministerial and technical committees and the General Secretariat. The meeting also discussed topics related to dialogues and strategic relations between the GCC countries, as well as with other countries and global blocs, in addition to the regional and international developments taking place in the region.

From the Saudi side, the meeting was attended by Ambassador to Qatar Prince Mansour bin Khalid bin Farhan, Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Rasi, deputy minister of foreign affairs for multilateral international affairs, and Abdul Rahman Al-Daoud, director general of the Office of Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Also, on Sunday, Prince Faisal bin Farhan and his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, co-chaired the first meeting of the Executive Committee of the Saudi-Qatari Coordination Council.

GCC and Central Asian states share common interests

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and the Central Asian Countries (C5) — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan — all member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, have shared values and historical ties, and possess significant oil and gas resources that qualify them to play an influential role in global energy security.

Hosting of the GCC-Central Asia Summit by Saudi Arabia reflects its keenness to boost existing relations, in conjunction with the GCC. It also reflects the interest of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in developing relations between the GCC and C5 and increasing coordination between them on issues of common interest.

The GCC-C5 Summit held in Saudi Arabia is testimony to the participating countries' appreciation of the status of the Kingdom at the Gulf, Islamic and international levels, and their commitment to establishing a strategic partnership based on a common action plan for political and security dialogue, and economic cooperation and investment.

The first-of-its-kind summit reflects the keenness of the GCC countries, mainly Saudi Arabia, to establish partnerships with the international community to enhance the global status of the GCC.

The GCC Secretary General held the first high-level meeting with the ministers of foreign affairs of C5 countries in the Kazakh capital, Astana, on October 12, 2021; Bahraini Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani participated in it. The meeting highlighted the importance of the C5 region for GCC countries and the desire to start a strategic dialogue with it.

Participants in the high-level ministerial meeting stressed the importance of relations of Gulf-Central Asian countries and their aspiration to boost cooperation and coordination in areas of common interest, bolster bridges of communication and work to seize opportunities and develop processes of coordination and cooperation.

The First Ministerial Meeting of the GCC-Central Asia Strategic Dialogue was held in Riyadh on September 07, 2022. Chaired by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, the goal was to develop relations with a view to achieving common interests.

The ministers affirmed their commitment to establishing a strong and ambitious partnership among their countries, based on common values and interests, deep historical ties between the peoples, and the existing cooperation at bilateral and multilateral levels.

They also reaffirmed commitment to previously agreed-upon cooperation to support global economic recovery efforts and address the COVID-19 repercussions, help supply chains recover, support transportation and communication, food, energy and water security, develop green energy sources and technologies, address environmental challenges and climate change, education, and exchange of best practices and expertise in various fields, create business opportunities and support investments through appropriate business and investment mechanisms.

Moreover, the ministers underlined the relevance of the principles, goals and priorities stated in the context of Central Asian countries interaction, adopted by the heads of Central Asia states on July 21, 2022, in Cholpon Ata, Kyrgyzstan, and the GCC decision to establish cooperation with Central Asian countries.

To achieve their goals, the ministers endorsed the Joint Action Plan for Strategic Dialogue and Cooperation between Central Asian countries and the GCC States for the period 2023-27, including political and security dialogue, economic and investment cooperation, enhancing people-to-people contacts, and developing effective partnerships between business sectors in the GCC and Central Asia. The ministers also pledged to take the measures necessary for the proper implementation of the plan at bilateral and multilateral levels.

The value of trade between the GCC and Central Asia countries amounted to US$3.1 billion in 2021, about 0.27% of the total value of the GCC merchandise trade.

The value of GCC exports to Central Asia amounted to US$2.06 billion in 2021, while imports amounted to US$1.03 billion.

The maximum exports from the GCC to Central Asia reached 0.37% in 2020, while the maximum imports by the GCC reached 0.21% in 2021.

Electrical machinery and appliances constituted the major goods exported to Central Asia, at a value of US$0.98 billion, about 47.6% of the total volume of goods exported by the GCC to Central Asia, which amounted to US$2.06 billion.

Copper and its by-products constituted the major commodity imported from Central Asia, at a value of US$0.45 billion in 2021, or about 43.7% of the total commodity imports from Central Asia, followed by gold, precious metals and stones, and iron and steel, at about 24.3% each.

Jordan to host talks on Syria’s return to Arab League

Jordan will host a meeting of Arab foreign ministers and Syria's top diplomat on Monday to discuss Syria's return to the Arab League as part of a broader political settlement of Syria's more than decade-old conflict, officials said.

The meeting, to be attended by Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad and his counterparts from Egypt, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, would discuss a Jordanian plan to achieve a political settlement of the conflict, Jordanian government officials said.

The meeting comes two weeks after talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia between the Gulf Cooperation Council, as well as Egypt, Jordan and Iraq, failed to reach agreement on Syria's possible return to the Arab fold.

It is the first such meeting with a top Syrian official by a group of Arab states - most of whom endorsed the move to suspend Syria's membership of the League in 2011 after a crackdown on protesters denouncing President Bashar al-Assad's authoritarian rule escalated into a devastating civil war.

Arab states and those most affected by the conflict are trying to reach consensus on whether to invite Assad to the Arab League summit on May 19 in Riyadh, to discuss the pace of normalizing ties with Assad and on what terms Syria could be allowed back.

Officials said the Jordanian initiative calls on Damascus to engage with Arab governments collectively on a step-by-step road map to end the conflict.

It would include tackling the issue of refugees, the fate of thousands of missing detainees, drug smuggling between Syria and the Gulf through Jordan and the presence of Iranian militias in Syria.

Regional superpower Saudi Arabia has resisted normalizing relations with Assad but said after its rapprochement with Iran - Syria's key regional ally - a new approach was needed with Damascus, which is under Western sanctions.

At the Jeddah meeting there was resistance to the move to invite Assad to the Arab League summit, with Qatar, Jordan and Kuwait saying it was premature before Damascus accepts to negotiate a peace plan.

Jordan's foreign minister, Ayman Safadi, met on Sunday with visiting US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf, officials said.

Washington does not wish to change its policy towards the Syrian government which it terms a ‘rogue’ state, has urged Arab states that have shifted their stance to get something in return for engaging with Assad once again.

Growing cooperation between Iran and Qatar

Iranian Energy Minister Ali Akbar Mehrabian arrived in the Qatari capital Doha on Sunday to hold talks with senior Qatari officials and attend the two country’s eighth Joint Economic Committee meeting.

A high-ranking delegation of Iranian government officials, including Sports Minister Hamid Sajjadi and head of Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) Alireza Peyman-Pak accompanied Mehrabian during his visit.

As part of the scheduled meetings with Qatari officials, Mehrabian met with Qatari Minister of Energy Saad Sherida al-Kaabi on Monday to discuss areas of interest for cooperation.

In this meeting, the energy minister expressed Iran’s interest in further expansion of economic relations between the two countries. He noted that the cooperation capacities of the two countries are very appropriate and emphasized removing the existing obstacles.

Referring to the good relations between the two countries in various fields, Mehrabian said, “The Iranian government has emphasized the development of relations with neighboring countries, and accordingly, these relations are increasing every day.”

The Qatari side also emphasized the need for increased efforts to develop relations between the two countries and to pave the way for trade exchanges.

On the same day, the Iranian delegation also met with the country’s businessmen and traders residing in Qatar and discussed various issues.

Speaking in this meeting, Mehrabian announced the signing of a document for supporting the private sectors of Iran and Qatar with the aim of developing trade cooperation between the two countries.

“The level of relations with neighboring countries has grown significantly since the current government has taken office in Iran,” he said, stressing that the Qatari market is a green market ready for the presence of Iranian businessmen and traders.

“Iran’s trade relations with the neighboring countries have increased by over 450% in the past nine months, and the figure is 900% for the past three months,” the minister said.

Iranian business center launched in Qatar

Peyman-Pak for his part, announced the establishment of an Iranian business center in Qatar to support the country’s traders.

Peyman-Pak said that transportation and banking relations are of special importance for the development of trade between the two countries.

Also, the head of the Iran-Qatar Joint Chamber of Commerce referred to the role of the private sectors of the two countries in trade development and said, "In Iran-Qatar Joint Chamber of Commerce, we seek to provide a special model of public-private partnership in Qatar."

Later on Monday, Head of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA) Gholam-Hossein Shafeie met with Chairman of Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim Al Thani and explored avenues of mutual cooperation.

In this meeting, Al Thani expressed satisfaction with the presence of the Iranian trade delegation in Qatar and noted that Qatar’s private sector is eager to cooperate with its Iranian counterparts.

“In the field of trade, we will act on the basis of the political relations between the two countries which are very good,” he said, stressing his country's readiness to solve the problems that Iranian businessmen may face in trade with Qatar.

Shafeie also described the political relations between the two countries as very positive and added, “We should try to develop trade relations between the two countries in line with the political relations. The development of economic relations will also lead to the stability of political ties, and Iran is very enthusiastic in this regard.”

The eighth meeting of the Iran-Qatar Joint Economic Committee is scheduled to be held on Tuesday in Doha.

Mehrabian and Qatar’s Minister of Commerce and Industry Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Bin Qassim Al-Thani will co-chair the intergovernmental committee meeting.

Meetings between officials of the two countries have increased in recent months as Qatar prepares to host the World Cup 2022 in November and December. Iran has offered its full logistical support to help Qatar successfully organize the tournament.

Can Saudi Arabia and Iran ever initiate direct military confrontation?

Relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia have been tense ever since the establishment of the Islamic Republic back in 1979. Creation of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and support for Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s regime during its 1980-1988 war with Iran became a big thorn. Ties were further strained in 1987 after the massacre of over 400 Iranian pilgrims by Saudi security forces in the holy city of Mecca.

In 2011, as the Arab Spring spread across the Middle East, the breach of mistrust between Tehran and Riyadh grew wider. The civil wars in Syria and Yemen pushed the two sides into indirect military confrontations. Execution of Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr by Saudi Arabia further worsened the situation.

Indeed, Saudi Arabia’s decision to cut ties with Iran after its diplomatic facilities were stormed by Iranian protesters, with countries such as Sudan, Somalia, Bahrain and Djibouti soon following suit, brought about a novel state in the Iranian-Saudi relationship. In this atmosphere, analysts sat with crossed fingers, exploring can Tehran and Riyadh ever initiate direct military confrontation? Likely the answer was clear; there can’t be a war between Iran and Saudi Arabia, for five main reasons.

First, the administration of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is pursuing a policy of constructive engagement with the world, the reason Iranians elected him in 2013. In Iran’s complicated political system, the executive and legislative branches are elected by popular vote; though the Guardian Council’s vetting of candidates makes the elections process not entirely free. Within this political system, making a decision to engage in war is not an easy task. Therefore, while some Saudi leaders may beat the drums of escalation, the possibility of outright war depends on factors such as whether there is political will for such action and how the two countries choose to handle the crisis in their relations. Engaging in war is not something that can be done by one side alone. Moreover, Iran’s government has no incentive to increase tensions, as evidenced by the condemnation of the attack on the Saudi Embassy in Tehran by the triangle of power in Iranian foreign policy, meaning Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. In a goodwill effort, Iran also announced that it will continue to send pilgrims to Saudi Arabia. Thus, if Saudi Arabia intends to initiate war, the Iranian public — seeing themselves as victims of a violation — will mobilize, and also gain the sympathy of the international community.

Second, the majority of Iran’s current leaders was involved in war with Iraq and is fully aware of its costs. Rouhani held several military positions during the conflict, while Zarif and his deputies also remember the hardships of that era in their capacity as diplomats. Khamenei, who was president at that time, also served as chairman of the Supreme Defense Council, while Rafsanjani served as the de facto commander-in-chief of the Iranian military. Even Iran’s parliament speaker, Ali Larijani, served as a commander with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Larijani’s brothers, including incumbent Judiciary Chief Sadegh Larijani, were also involved in the conflict. Many other influential Iranian figures, including a great number of parliamentarians and Friday prayer leaders, also have bitter memories of war. Although the IRGC at times seems to favor showdowns — such as in the cases of the recent detention of US sailors or its surveillance of the aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman in the Persian Gulf — it is not empowered to take arbitrary actions.

Third, the very nature of the current crisis makes war unlikely. According to Charles Hermann, a renowned analyst of issues related to US foreign policy, crisis management and decision-making, what defines a crisis are the three elements of threat, time and surprise. Whether the situation threatens the vital interests of a state allows only a short time for decision-making, and whether it occurs as a surprise to policymakers must all be considered. When it comes to Iran and Saudi Arabia, the nature of their crisis does not meet these criteria. In fact, Saudi Arabia’s tone against Iran has even softened in recent times. Indeed, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman told The Economist, “Whoever is pushing toward [war with Iran] is somebody who is not in their right mind.”

Fourth, on the international level, Saudi Arabia believes that in the event of a military confrontation with Iran, the United States and the rest of the West may side with the Islamic Republic. Riyadh’s decision to cut ties with Tehran has received virtually no international support aside from some African countries that play no significant role in international power equations. Even the then US Secretary of State John Kerry urged calm following the breakdown in the Saudi-Iranian relationship.

Last but not the least; victory is uncertain in a potential Iranian-Saudi war. Saudi Arabia and Iran may take destructive blows from each other, but both know that neither has the ability to destroy the other side or impose regime change. Saudi Arabia has more warplanes and modern military equipment, while Iran has better missile capabilities and military personnel. Riyadh’s involvement in the Yemen war is another factor that reduces the motivation for war with Tehran. Moreover, the population in Saudi Arabia’s oil-rich Eastern Province is mainly Shiite and has the potential to revolt — an advantage for Tehran that Riyadh cannot easily create for itself in Iran. Lastly, Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz, through which Saudi Arabia conducts much of its trade, is a further preventative factor, since war would necessitate redirecting all that trade to the Red Sea, which in the short run is just not possible.

Qatar offers to mediate between Iran and United States

Qatar is ready to mediate between Iran and the United States as Joe Biden, assumes office of President, after the turbulent years of the Trump administrations, said Lolwah al-Khater, spokeswoman for Qatar’s Foreign Ministry. She also pointed out that Qatar is committed to engaging in a “constructive dialogue” between Tehran and the Arab states of the Persian Gulf.

“Qatar has expressed its willingness to play such a role, yet we have to be invited by both parties, who are still hesitant to take this step, in terms of entering and engaging in direct negotiations,” said al-Khater.

She stated that Iran and Arab states of Persian Gulf’s are geographical realities in the region and they need to start a direct dialogue.

“Iran is a geographical reality in our region and the [Persian] Gulf states are a geographical reality, no one is going away, and that is why it is very important to engage in a meaningful, constructive and direct dialogue," the spokeswoman asserted.

She said a dialogue between Iran and its Arab neighbors is even more important than a dialogue between Iran and the United States.

“If it was important for the US to have a dialogue with Iran, then it is even more important for us as [Persian] Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to have a meaningful and constructive dialogue with Iran, one that will preserve the collective security of our region, the rights of our peoples and ensure a prosperous future for coming generations,” she continued.

The Qatari official also pointed to Qatar’s trade ties with Iran and Turkey during the GCC crisis, saying that these ties helped Qatar in achieving a GDP growth more than that of its neighbors.

“Looking back, the economic gains are significant,” she said of the outcome of the crisis, pointing out that Qatar's GDP grew more than that of its neighbors during the blockade, when Doha strengthened its trade relations with Turkey, Iran and other countries in the area beyond the GCC.

The comments came a few weeks after Qatar mended ties with its Arab neighbors in a reconciliation deal brokered by the US. The deal put an end to a three-year-and-half dispute between Qatar and an Arab quartet of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt. In June 2017, the Saudi-led quartet severed diplomatic ties with Qatar and imposed a total blockade on the tiny Persian Gulf nation.

The four countries closed their airspace, land, and sea routes to Qatari planes, cars, and vessels, a move that prompted Qatar to use Iranian airspace. Kuwait, a country stuck in the middle of the dispute between its neighbors, had studiously worked to reconcile the opposing sides and succeeded in doing so in December.

On 5th January 2021, leaders of the GCC - Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman- attended the al-Ula summit in Saudi Arabia in which they signed a reconciliation deal, putting an end to the years long GCC crisis.

“There have been no concessions from any side (...) the GCC crisis was a lose-lose situation for everyone, so ending this crisis, I think, will be a gain for everyone”, al-Khater said of the deal.

According to al-Khater, Doha has emerged stronger from the crisis, at least from an economic point of view, as in the past three and a half years it has “diversified its supply chains and reinforced its position as one of the largest energy exporters globally.”

“The blockade was a situation we did not choose, for sure, but we were able to live with it and sustain the situation. Ending the blockade is about the collective interest of our entire region, not only in Qatar’s interest,” the spokeswoman insisted.

Al-Khater’s remarks came after Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani called for dialogue between Iran and its Arab neighbors to resolve outstanding differences, expressing hope that the two sides would hold a summit to deescalate tensions.

“We are hopeful that this [summit] would happen and we still believe that this should happen. And I think this is also a desire that being shared among the other GCC countries. I just mentioned to you that there is a difference between the countries on the way how to approach such a dialogue. Also from the Iranian side, they have expressed their willingness several times to engage with the GCC countries,” he said in a recent interview with Bloomberg TV.

Bin Abdulrahman underlined that the time should come when the Persian Gulf’s Arab states will sit at the table with Iran and reach a common understanding. “We have to live with each other. We cannot change geography. Iran cannot move the GCC away from its neighborhood and the GCC cannot move Iran from the neighborhood,” he continued.

The chief Qatari diplomat also expressed readiness to facilitate dialogue between Iran and the GCC states or back anyone facilitating such a dialogue.

He also hoped that the much-anticipated talks between Iran and the US on the 2015 nuclear deal –officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)- would help ease tensions between Iran and its Arab neighbors.

Bin Abdulrahman expressed hope that what will happen between Iran and the US on the JCPOA would contribute to resolving the differences between Iran and the GCC. “Of course, things are interconnected at the end of the day,” he noted, adding that Qatar will support negotiations between the stakeholders.

“We will be welcoming this idea. We maintain a good relationship with the US and we maintain a good relationship with Iran,” bin Abdulrahman stated.

Iran welcomed the Qatari call for dialogue between Iran and the Persian Gulf’s Arab states, underlining that the solution to the region’s challenges lies in cooperation to form a strong region free from foreign interference.

“Iran welcomes my brother FM @MBA_AlThani's call for inclusive dialogue in our region. As we have consistently emphasized, the solution to our challenges lies in collaboration to jointly form a 'strong region': peaceful, stable, prosperous & free from global or regional hegemony,” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a tweet following the Qatari foreign minister’s call for dialogue.