GCC Stresses Importance of Strengthening Relations with UK

Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi
Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi
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GCC Stresses Importance of Strengthening Relations with UK

Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi
Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi

Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi has stressed the importance of strengthening ties between the Council and the United Kingdom, including the Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which is an essential element of the strategic partnership and will contribute to achieving common interests.

This came during Albudaiwi’s meeting with Minister of State for the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia and United Nations at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Lord Tariq Ahmad on Saturday, on the sidelines of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Albudaiwi stated that several topics were discussed during the meeting, most notably following up on the developments in the negotiations of the FTA between the Council and the UK and Northern Ireland, in addition to following up on the outcomes of the recently held GCC-British ministerial meeting.

The two sides also reviewed the latest developments in the region and the world, especially enhancing regional and global security and stability.



Qatar’s Emir: No Peace in Region Without Establishing a Palestinian State

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani (Photo by Karim JAAFAR / AFP)
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani (Photo by Karim JAAFAR / AFP)
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Qatar’s Emir: No Peace in Region Without Establishing a Palestinian State

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani (Photo by Karim JAAFAR / AFP)
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani (Photo by Karim JAAFAR / AFP)

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani said on Thursday the crisis in the Middle East is a "collective genocide," and that establishing a Palestinian State is the only way to ensure peace in the region.
"It has become crystal clear that what is happening is genocide", he said during the Asia Cooperation Dialogue summit in Doha.
The Emir emphasized that there can be no peace in the region without the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The Qatari Emir also condemned Israeli air strikes and military operations "against the brotherly Lebanese Republic".
Israel launched an assault a year ago on the Gaza Strip after Hamas militants attacked southern Israeli towns. 
This week, Israel launched a ground incursion in Lebanon against Hezbollah, which has been firing into Israel in what it says is solidarity with the Palestinians.