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)
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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.



Iran FM Receives Heads of Trilateral Committee Delegation in Tehran 

Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araghchi receives the heads of the delegations of the joint trilateral committee in Tehran on Tuesday. (SPA)
Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araghchi receives the heads of the delegations of the joint trilateral committee in Tehran on Tuesday. (SPA)
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Iran FM Receives Heads of Trilateral Committee Delegation in Tehran 

Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araghchi receives the heads of the delegations of the joint trilateral committee in Tehran on Tuesday. (SPA)
Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araghchi receives the heads of the delegations of the joint trilateral committee in Tehran on Tuesday. (SPA)

Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araghchi received in Tehran on Tuesday the heads of the delegations of the joint trilateral committee tasked with following up on the 2023 Beijing Agreement.

The Saudi delegation is led by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Waleed Elkhereiji and China’s delegation is headed by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Miao Deyu.

The officials discussed ways to boost cooperation and reviewed issues of mutual interest.

The commitee had met in Tehran earlier on Tuesday with the parties saying they look forward to expanding economic and political cooperation, as well as in other fields.

They also underlined the importance of dialogue and regional cooperation to bolster security, stability, peace and economic prosperity.

Saudi Arabia, Iran and China called for an end to Israeli attacks on Palestine, Lebanon and Syria. They condemned Israel’s attacks against Iran and the violation of its sovereignty.

Saudi Arabia and Iran stressed their commitment to implementing all articles of the 2023 Beijing Agreement, saying they seek to bolster good neighborliness between them.


Mohammed bin Salman, Sharaa Discuss Syria’s Economic Recovery 

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa meet in Riyadh in February. (SPA)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa meet in Riyadh in February. (SPA)
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Mohammed bin Salman, Sharaa Discuss Syria’s Economic Recovery 

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa meet in Riyadh in February. (SPA)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa meet in Riyadh in February. (SPA)

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, held telephone talks on Tuesday with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

The leaders reviewed bilateral relations between their countries and opportunities to strengthen cooperation across several fields.

They tackled issues of mutual interest and the efforts aimed at promoting security and stability and supporting economic recovery in Syria.


Saudi FM, Rubio Discuss Regional, Int’l Developments

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio meet in Riyadh in February. (SPA)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio meet in Riyadh in February. (SPA)
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Saudi FM, Rubio Discuss Regional, Int’l Developments

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio meet in Riyadh in February. (SPA)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio meet in Riyadh in February. (SPA)

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held telephone talks on Tuesday on regional and international developments.

The State Department said they discussed the developments in Yemen and the pressing need to advance peace efforts in Sudan.

Rubio welcomed the outcomes of the visit by Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to the United States in November.

The visit, he said, “underscored the strength of the Saudi-US partnership.”