Riyadh Prepares to Host Strategic GCC Dialogues with Russia, India

Gulf foreign ministers and GCC Secretary-General Dr. Jassim Mohammed Al Budawi meet in Doha in June. (GCC)
Gulf foreign ministers and GCC Secretary-General Dr. Jassim Mohammed Al Budawi meet in Doha in June. (GCC)
TT

Riyadh Prepares to Host Strategic GCC Dialogues with Russia, India

Gulf foreign ministers and GCC Secretary-General Dr. Jassim Mohammed Al Budawi meet in Doha in June. (GCC)
Gulf foreign ministers and GCC Secretary-General Dr. Jassim Mohammed Al Budawi meet in Doha in June. (GCC)

The foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries will meet in Riyadh on Monday for their 161st Ministerial Council. They will also hold joint separate meetings with their counterparts from Russia, India and Brazil.

GCC Secretary-General Dr. Jassim Mohammed Al Budawi said in August that the Ministerial Council will tackle several issues related to joint Gulf work, and regional and international developments.

The members of the council will hold a number of joint ministerial meetings with several countries to discuss cooperation and coordination and exchange views on regional and international developments.

The ministers will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the seventh GCC-Russia strategic dialogue. The two parties had previously underscored the importance of the dialogue between them to achieve common interests and deepen relations.

They had approved the Gulf-Russian 2023-2028 joint plan that is aimed at strengthening ties and exchanging expertise in several areas.

The parties last met in Moscow in July. They agreed to intensify efforts to achieve peace, security, stability and prosperity around the world.

They agreed to respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of nations and to refrain from meddling in their internal affairs. They stressed the need to confront challenges and crises through peaceful means, prioritize dialogue and resolve conflicts through negotiations.

The meeting welcomed GCC efforts to pave the way for a political solution to the crisis in Ukraine.

The GCC ministers will also meet with their Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, the first ever between the two sides.

They will also hold joint talks with Brazil’s Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, who was invited to Riyadh by Al Budawi during a visit to Brazil in June.

Officials are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding and joint work plan aimed at bolstering and developing relations between them.



Falling Debris after Interception Injures 3 at Abu Dhabi Gas Complex

FILE PHOTO: General view of the Abu Dhabi city is seen from observation deck of Emirates Towers in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, December 23, 2018. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: General view of the Abu Dhabi city is seen from observation deck of Emirates Towers in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, December 23, 2018. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/File Photo
TT

Falling Debris after Interception Injures 3 at Abu Dhabi Gas Complex

FILE PHOTO: General view of the Abu Dhabi city is seen from observation deck of Emirates Towers in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, December 23, 2018. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: General view of the Abu Dhabi city is seen from observation deck of Emirates Towers in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, December 23, 2018. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/File Photo

Authorities in Abu Dhabi said on Wednesday that falling debris following an interception had injured three people and forced a halt in production following fires at a gas complex in the emirate.

The government's media office said in a statement the incident at Habshan gas-processing facility "was caused by falling debris, following a successful interception by air defense systems, resulting in multiple fires and minor injuries to two Emiratis and one Indian national.”

"Operations have been suspended and further updates will be provided in due course," it added.


Iranian Drone Attack in Bahrain Injures Two, Says Interior Ministry

A general view of Manama, Bahrain. (AFP)
A general view of Manama, Bahrain. (AFP)
TT

Iranian Drone Attack in Bahrain Injures Two, Says Interior Ministry

A general view of Manama, Bahrain. (AFP)
A general view of Manama, Bahrain. (AFP)

Two people sustained light injuries following an Iranian drone attack in Bahrain on Wednesday, the interior ministry said, hours after a US-Iran truce took effect.

"As a result of the Iranian aggression, two citizens sustained minor injuries and a number of houses were damaged in the Sitra area as a result of shrapnel falling from the interception of an Iranian drone," the Bahraini interior ministry said in a post on X.

The United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire, reaching a deal less than two hours before President Donald Trump's deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face the wiping out of "a whole civilization".

The announcement by Trump late on Tuesday represented an abrupt turnaround from his extraordinary warning earlier, and came after mediation efforts by Pakistan's military chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, and its Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The eleventh-hour deal was subject to Iran's agreement to pause its blockade of oil and gas supplies through the strait, Trump said. The waterway typically handles about one-fifth of global oil shipments.

Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araqchi, said in a statement Tehran would cease counter-attacks and provide safe passage through the waterway, if attacks against it stop.

It was not immediately ‌clear how soon the ceasefire elsewhere would take full effect. Israeli media said it would begin once Iran reopened the strait and that Israel expected Iranian attacks to continue in the interim.


Saudi FM Discusses Regional Developments with Zayani, Ishaq Dar

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah meets with Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the day Pakistan hosts talks with the Foreign Ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Türkiye to discuss regional de-escalation, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in Islamabad, Pakistan, March 29, 2026. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah meets with Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the day Pakistan hosts talks with the Foreign Ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Türkiye to discuss regional de-escalation, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in Islamabad, Pakistan, March 29, 2026. (SPA)
TT

Saudi FM Discusses Regional Developments with Zayani, Ishaq Dar

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah meets with Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the day Pakistan hosts talks with the Foreign Ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Türkiye to discuss regional de-escalation, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in Islamabad, Pakistan, March 29, 2026. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah meets with Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the day Pakistan hosts talks with the Foreign Ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Türkiye to discuss regional de-escalation, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in Islamabad, Pakistan, March 29, 2026. (SPA)

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah held separate telephone talks with his Bahraini counterpart Abdullatif al-Zayani and Pakistani counterpart Mohammad Ishaq Dar on regional developments and their impact on security and stability.

They tackled efforts to achieve stability and security in the Middle East, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Wednesday.

The United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire on Tuesday.

US President Donald Trump said the agreement was reached after he spoke to leaders in Pakistan, which has played a key role in mediating the war launched by the US and Israel on February 28.