Albudaiwi: GCC States Consistently Seek to Enhance Global Security and Stability

Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Albudaiwi. SPA
Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Albudaiwi. SPA
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Albudaiwi: GCC States Consistently Seek to Enhance Global Security and Stability

Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Albudaiwi. SPA
Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Albudaiwi. SPA

Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Albudaiwi said that the GCC member states consistently seek to enhance security, stability, development, and prosperity to serve the mutual interests of the region's peoples and the entire world.

This comes in light of the rapid geopolitical shifts as well as growing security and economic challenges facing the globe, according to SPA.

During his participation in a panel session on GCC-European strategic links, held today in the Czech capital, Prague, on the sidelines of the GLOBSEC Global Security Forum 2026, the GCC secretary-general said: "The GCC General Secretariat’s participation in the GLOBSEC Global Security Forum 2026 embodies its keenness to maintain an active presence in regional and international forums. This engagement aims to bolster communication and exchange perspectives with international partners, decision-makers, and experts, thereby supporting efforts to maintain regional and international security while keeping pace with rapid global changes."

He also pointed out that the region has recently witnessed several events that have heavily impacted security and stability, adding that the GCC states have sustained their continuous diplomatic efforts to de-escalate and defuse tensions in the region, promoting paths of dialogue and diplomacy to protect regional security, stability, and the safety of its peoples.

The GCC secretary-general underscored the paramount importance of protecting the security of air and maritime corridors, ensuring freedom of navigation, the safety of supply chains, and the stability of global energy market.

"The stability of the Gulf region remains a fundamental pillar for the stability of the global economy and international maritime security," he reiterated.

Albudaiwi explained that recent developments have proven that the security of Europe and the Middle East has become unprecedentedly interconnected, asserting that any disruption in the Gulf region and its surrounding maritime passages directly affects the European economy, global energy security, supply chains, and international stability as a whole. He stressed that Gulf stability is no longer merely a regional matter, but has become a shared international interest.

Discussing the future of Gulf-European relations, Albudaiwi mentioned that both sides aspire to elevate their ties to broader horizons.

He added that the upcoming GCC-EU Summit will contribute to cementing cooperation across numerous fields and achieving the mutual interests of both parties, emphasizing the significance of reaching tangible results that serve both sides and elevate their ongoing cooperation.



Trump Administration Backs Saudi Arabia’s Right to Defend Itself against Houthis

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the press before boarding a plane en route to Iceland at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on October 5, 2026. (AFP)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the press before boarding a plane en route to Iceland at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on October 5, 2026. (AFP)
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Trump Administration Backs Saudi Arabia’s Right to Defend Itself against Houthis

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the press before boarding a plane en route to Iceland at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on October 5, 2026. (AFP)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the press before boarding a plane en route to Iceland at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on October 5, 2026. (AFP)

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed on Monday that Washington understands the steps taken by the Saudi-led Arab coalition against the terrorist Houthi militia in Yemen.

The Trump administration is determined to meet its bilateral security commitments with the Kingdom in confronting threats from the Iran-backed group.

“The United States has a defense and security agreement with Saudi Arabia and we intend to live by it. I won’t discuss details further than that,” Rubio told a press conference before departing on a European trip that includes Iceland, Greece and Portugal.

“As far as our view of it, well, I think it’s – the Saudis and Yemeni forces clearly are not in favor of the Houthis controlling that territory close to the – to the [Bab al-Mandeb] strait there,” he added.

“It is territory that was gained as a result of a Houthi offensive, and this is the counter to it. We expected that would happen and that’s what’s happening,” he remarked.

“So obviously the Saudis have come under Houthi attack and see the threat that that poses, and they have a right to defend themselves. And obviously the Yemeni forces are going to try to retake territory that they were ousted from,” Rubio added.


Under Royal Directives, Saudi Arabia to Regularize Residency Status of Yemeni Nationals

The Ministry of Interior said that holding a valid Yemeni passport is an essential prerequisite for regularizing legal status. (Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen)
The Ministry of Interior said that holding a valid Yemeni passport is an essential prerequisite for regularizing legal status. (Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen)
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Under Royal Directives, Saudi Arabia to Regularize Residency Status of Yemeni Nationals

The Ministry of Interior said that holding a valid Yemeni passport is an essential prerequisite for regularizing legal status. (Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen)
The Ministry of Interior said that holding a valid Yemeni passport is an essential prerequisite for regularizing legal status. (Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen)

Under the directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and in response to a request submitted by Chairman of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Dr. Rashad Mohammed Al-Alimi, the Saudi Ministry of Interior announced on Monday that the status of all Yemeni nationals residing irregularly in the Kingdom will be officially regularized.

The ministry is carrying out the initiative with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, and Saudi Data and AI Authority, as part of the Kingdom's continued fraternal and humanitarian support for the Yemeni people.

The Ministry of Interior said that holding a valid Yemeni passport is an essential prerequisite for regularizing legal status.

The start date and applicable regulations will be announced through the official accounts of the General Directorate of Passports and other relevant authorities.


Saudi Arabia Strongly Condemns Houthis' Continued Targeting of Civilian Facilities

Saudi Arabia Strongly Condemns Houthis' Continued Targeting of Civilian Facilities
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Saudi Arabia Strongly Condemns Houthis' Continued Targeting of Civilian Facilities

Saudi Arabia Strongly Condemns Houthis' Continued Targeting of Civilian Facilities

Saudi Arabia strongly condemned on Monday the terrorist Houthi militia’s continued targeting of civilians and civilian and economic facilities in the Kingdom.

A Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement said Saudi Arabia also condemned “the Houthis’ blatant and repeated attacks against the holiest sites on earth - Makkah and Madinah - the capital Riyadh, and the cities of Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan, Najran, Taif, and Yanbu, as well as its targeting of Saudi vessels in the southern Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.”

The Kingdom stressed that, since the terrorist Houthi militia’s coup against Yemen’s legitimate government in 2014, Saudi Arabia “has made sustained and tireless efforts to support a comprehensive and lasting political solution in Yemen.”

“However, consistent with its rejection of peace, the terrorist Houthi militia has instead chosen continued military escalation, dragging Yemen and the brotherly Yemeni people into further humanitarian and economic suffering that serves - and is in pursuit of - external agendas,” it added.

“The Kingdom reaffirms its inherent right to defend its territory, resources, sovereignty, and the safety of its citizens and residents, and to take all necessary measures to protect its security in accordance with international law,” it continued.

“It also renews its full political and military support for the Presidential Leadership Council, the Yemeni government, and the brotherly Yemeni people to end the coup and restore the state and its institutions from the control of the terrorist Houthi militia,” it went on to say.

“The Kingdom reiterates its call on the international community, particularly the permanent members of the UN Security Council, to fulfill its responsibilities, implement the relevant Security Council resolutions, and provide full support to Yemen’s legitimate government in confronting the terrorist Houthi militia and ending the threat it poses to Yemen, the region, and the world,” it urged.