GCC Stresses Importance of Partnership with US in Securing Freedom of Maritime Navigation in Region

The Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council met with Vice Admiral Brad Cooper. Photo: GCC website
The Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council met with Vice Admiral Brad Cooper. Photo: GCC website
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GCC Stresses Importance of Partnership with US in Securing Freedom of Maritime Navigation in Region

The Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council met with Vice Admiral Brad Cooper. Photo: GCC website
The Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council met with Vice Admiral Brad Cooper. Photo: GCC website

The Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Jassem Mohamed Albudaiwi, stressed on Thursday the importance of the strategic partnership between the GCC and the United States in enhancing maritime security in the region and securing freedom of maritime navigation and the flow of international trade.

This statement came during his meeting with Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, Commander of US Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT), US 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces at the headquarters of the GCC General Secretariat in Riyadh.

During the meeting, they discussed several issues related to maritime security in the Arab Gulf region, strengthening the GCC-US cooperation and working with international and regional partners.

The GCC Secretary-General stressed the importance of this joint work to maintain the security of waterways and maritime navigation in a way that guarantees freedom of navigation and the free flow of trade to the countries of this region and the world.

In addition, Albudaiwi emphasized that the matter of maritime security is a top priority within the framework of the strategic partnership with the US. This is evidenced by the formation of a specialized working group in 2015, whose members convene regularly to agree on necessary steps to enhance cooperation between the two sides in the field of maritime security, he said.

The importance of this partnership has been underscored by the successive GCC-US summits, including the summit held in July 2022 in Jeddah, and the joint ministerial meeting between the Foreign Ministers of the GCC countries and the US in June 2023, which stressed the importance of supporting navigational rights and freedoms as well as collective efforts to address threats to the security of ships using the waterways in the region, the GCC Secretary-General highlighted.



MWL Welcomes UN Co-Chairs' Statement on Palestinian Question and Two-State Solution

MWL Welcomes UN Co-Chairs' Statement on Palestinian Question and Two-State Solution
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MWL Welcomes UN Co-Chairs' Statement on Palestinian Question and Two-State Solution

MWL Welcomes UN Co-Chairs' Statement on Palestinian Question and Two-State Solution

The Muslim World League (MWL) welcomed the statement issued by the Co-Chairs of the United Nations High-Level International Conference on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, represented by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the French Republic.
In a statement from the League’s General Secretariat, MWL Secretary-General and Chairman of the Organization of Muslim Scholars Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa reaffirmed the League and the Islamic world’s appreciation for the pivotal and significant momentum generated by the international coalition, led by Saudi Arabia, to implement the two-state solution.

He noted that this conference was one of the important outcomes of these efforts, alongside the coalition’s remarkable diplomatic achievements in a short time, which have pushed the international community toward a legitimate and responsible stance aligned with the legal and human rights of the Palestinian people, SPA reported.

Dr. Al-Issa also expressed regret over the ongoing escalation and recent developments in the region that led to the suspension of this historic conference, which had been widely anticipated as a step toward a peaceful settlement of the Palestinian question, the implementation of the two-state solution, and an end to the prolonged suffering of the Palestinian people and the humanitarian tragedy facing civilians in Gaza.

He praised the statement’s reaffirmation of unwavering support for all efforts aimed at ending the war in Gaza and achieving a just and sustainable resolution to the Palestinian question through the implementation of the two-state solution.