Sayyid Shihab at GCC-ASEAN Summit
On behalf of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik Al Said, His Highness Sayyid Shihab bin Tariq Al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for Defence Affairs, led the Omani delegation participating in the summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which began today in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.
The summit will discuss the joint action plan for 2024 – 2028 and aims to enhance cooperation between the Gulf States and ASEAN, particularly in political, economic, security and cultural aspects. The summit will also focus on investment, tourism, agriculture, education and training, with the aim to raise cooperation between the two regional groups to a strategic level and to explore new opportunities.
The summit will also discuss ways to enhance sustainable development and promising opportunities between the two parties, in addition to trade, investment opportunities, energy security and food security.
In his speech at the opening of the summit, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, called for an end to the violence in Gaza and denounced targeting civilians. He emphasised the importance of adhering to international law, creating conditions for the return of peace and the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The Prince said that the summit between the GCC and ASEAN countries seeks to enhance cooperation and achieve security. He noted the significant achievements of the GCC and ASEAN countries, citing an increase in the GDP of these countries to 7.8 trillion dollars. He added that Gulf exports to ASEAN make up 9% of its total exports, while imports from ASEAN to the Gulf account for 6% of total imports.
The Indonesian President, Joko Widodo spoke of the need to stop the escalation in Gaza, appreciating the role of the Gulf States in supporting peace processes in Asia.
He stated that both ASEAN and GCC are great forces that will continue to grow, noting that their GDP is more than 5 trillion dollars and the population exceeds 700 million. He added that these are great assets that enable ASEAN and the GCC to play a strategic role the world.
Following this, a closed session of the summit meeting was held between the GCC states and ASEAN countries.
This is an unofficial English version of an Arabic report. To view the official Arabic text, click here.