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GCC, UK Agree to Proceed with Free Trade Agreement This Year

Albudaiwi meets with UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade Jonathan Reynolds in London. (SPA)
Albudaiwi meets with UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade Jonathan Reynolds in London. (SPA)
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GCC, UK Agree to Proceed with Free Trade Agreement This Year

Albudaiwi meets with UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade Jonathan Reynolds in London. (SPA)
Albudaiwi meets with UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade Jonathan Reynolds in London. (SPA)

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi said on Wednesday the GCC and United Kingdom are in agreement over the importance of proceeding towards finalizing negotiations for a free-trade agreement (FTA).

He added that the two parties will sign the agreement this year.

Albudaiwi met in London with UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade Jonathan Reynolds.

Albudaiwi said he sensed a strong interest from the new British government and a sincere desire to complete the negotiation rounds for the FTA. Reynolds expressed the desire to have the agreement signed before the end of 2024.

The officials discussed various topics of mutual interest, focusing on economic and trade relations between the GCC and the UK, and ways to boost and develop them.

Both sides aspired to accelerate the pace of FTA negotiations and hold regular meetings between senior officials to finalize its chapters and sign it this year. This is seen as a step to bolster cooperation and the strategic partnership between the GCC and the UK.

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Iraq, Saudi, Russia Stress Need for Stable Oil Market ahead of OPEC+ Meeting

A 3D printed oil pump jack is seen in front of displayed stock graph and Opec logo in this illustration picture, April 14, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
A 3D printed oil pump jack is seen in front of displayed stock graph and Opec logo in this illustration picture, April 14, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
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Iraq, Saudi, Russia Stress Need for Stable Oil Market ahead of OPEC+ Meeting

A 3D printed oil pump jack is seen in front of displayed stock graph and Opec logo in this illustration picture, April 14, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
A 3D printed oil pump jack is seen in front of displayed stock graph and Opec logo in this illustration picture, April 14, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

OPEC+ members Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Russia agreed in a meeting in Iraq on Tuesday on the importance of maintaining stable oil markets and fair prices, Iraq's Prime Minister Office said on Tuesday.

The talks come ahead of Sunday's meeting of OPEC+, which comprises the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies led by Russia, where OPEC+ sources say it will weigh a possible further delay to plans to raise oil output.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak attended the meeting.

They discussed "the conditions of global energy markets and matters related to the production of crude oil, its flow to markets, and meeting demand," the prime minister's office said, Reuters reported.

"The importance of maintaining stability, balance, and fair prices was emphasised, while stressing the vital role played by the OPEC+ group in this regard," the office added.

Russian energy minister Sergei Tsivilev and deputy energy minister Pavel Sorokin were also present, according to a photo posted on the X account of the Iraqi prime minister's media office.

OPEC+, which pumps around half the world's oil, has already delayed a plan to gradually lift production by several months this year because of falling prices, weak demand and rising production outside the group.

Despite OPEC+'s cuts and delays to output hikes, oil prices have mostly stayed in a $70-$80 per barrel range this year and on Tuesday were trading below $74 a barrel, not far above a 2024 low reached in September.

Azerbaijan's Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov told Reuters on Monday OPEC+ may at Sunday's meeting consider leaving its current oil output cuts in place from Jan. 1. The meeting will be held online, OPEC+ sources said.