Saudi Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif underlined on Wednesday that the region and the world are facing increasing risks and challenges, leading to a rise in violence, terrorism, and extremism.
According to the minister, these risks and challenges necessitate the preservation of the unity of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the enhancement of security cooperation and coordination among its member states.
GCC countries have approved a unified tourist visa to allow easy movement between six nations for residents and tourists.
The announcement was made at the 40th meeting of the Interior Ministers of the GCC, which took place in Oman’s capital, Muscat.
Addressing the meeting, Prince Abdulaziz said the dangers and challenges that the region and the world are going through have led to increasing waves of violence, terrorism, extremism, insecurity, and the spread of cross-border organized crime.
“This necessitates the importance of adhering to the unity of the GCC, strengthening collective action, and raising the level of security cooperation and coordination,” said the minister.
“This should be materialized in a way realizing the directives of the GCC leaders with establishing security and stability, and enhancing opportunities for growth and prosperity,” he added.
Prince Abdulaziz highlighted that the scourge of drugs and the severe damage it causes to countries and societies underline the need to intensify efforts of existing coordination among the agencies concerned with combating drugs.
This is to uncover the organized plans pursued by drug gangs to target the Gulf countries and societies, as well as to dry up the sources of drugs and eliminate their traffickers.
He hoped that the meeting would contribute to enhancing the process of security and safety for citizens, expatriates and visitors of the GCC countries.
Meanwhile, Kuwait’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Talal Khaled Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah highlighted that the GCC has made significant progress in the realm of collaborative cooperation.
“This has had a profound impact on enhancing the efficiency of security agencies and preserving security and stability in our countries,” noted Al-Sabah.
He urged the continuation of reinforcing the frameworks of cooperation and integration among GCC states to address challenges and advance efforts in combating transnational organized crimes.
The first deputy premier and minister emphasized that the optimal way to combat such crimes is through coordination, integration, cooperation, and information exchange to tighten control, eradicate the sources of these crimes, and pursue their perpetrators.
“Today, we live in the era of digitalization, and our Gulf countries are targeted by cybercrimes from international organized criminal gangs and professional hackers. This necessitates us to prioritize cybersecurity to protect our digital assets,” he noted.
He stressed the importance of maximum cooperation and information exchange among the relevant agencies responsible for cybersecurity to make our Gulf nations resilient against security breaches of information and data.
