Elvira Kadyrova
On 19 July 2023, the first Summit of the Heads of State of the Cooperation Council of the Arab States of the Gulf and Central Asian countries was held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The summit, chaired by Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, was attended by:
• President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
• President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Zhaparov
• President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon
• President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov
• President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev
• Emir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani
• UAE Prime Minister Sheikh Muhammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum
• Deputy Emir, Crown Prince of Kuwait Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
• Deputy Prime Minister of the Sultanate of Oman Sheikh Asaad bin Tariq Al-Said
• Special Representative of the King of Bahrain, Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa
• Secretary General of GCC Jassim Mohamed al-Budaiwi.
Opening the summit, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud stressed that the countries of the GCC and Central Asia are linked by historical ties.
“Our summit today is but an extension of these ties to establish a promising start based on our historical heritage, capabilities, human resources and economic growth that contributed to the gross product of our countries reaching nearly USD 2,3 trillion”, he said.
“The challenges facing our world today require that we exert all efforts to strengthen cooperation among our countries to achieve regional security and stability while stressing that it is important to respect the sovereignty, independence and values of each country, and the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of any. We also stress the need to intensify joint action to confront challenges posed to energy security and global food supply chains”, the Crown Prince underlined.
“As we announce the action plan adopted by the GCC and the Central Asia countries for the period 2023-2027, which includes political and security dialogue, economic cooperation and investment opportunities, strengthening communication among peoples, and the establishment of effective partnerships between the business sectors in our countries, we commit to continue discussing ways to boost our relations and cooperate even closer”, he stated.
Then, the leaders and heads of delegations participating in the GCC-Central Asia summit made speeches.
Following the summit, a Joint Statement was adopted in which the GCC and Central Asian countries stressed the importance of strengthening political and strategic relations between the two sides at the collective and bilateral levels, as well as continuing political coordination in order to achieve regional and international security and stability, face challenges, and work to ensure the flexibility of supply chains, transportation and communication, food security, energy security, and water security.
The leaders stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation in the field of green economy, energy, digital economy, innovation, green technologies. In this regard, it was decided to hold the Investment Forum of the Persian Gulf and Central Asia countries in Saudi Arabia in the last quarter of 2023. The statement also welcomes the initiatives of Turkmenistan and the Kyrgyz Republic to hold an Investment Forum in 2024.
Regarding international politics, the leaders discussed regional and international issues, and their visions agreed on the importance of concerted efforts to achieve peace, security, stability, and prosperity worldwide. They emphasized the priority of restoring international peace and security through mutual respect and cooperation between countries to achieve development and progress. They highlighted the principles of good neighborliness, respect for the sovereignty of states, their territorial integrity, and political independence, non-interference in their internal affairs, non-use or threat of force, and the protection of the international order based on adherence to the principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations.
The next GCC-Central Asia summit will be held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, in 2025. ///nCa, 20 July 2023
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