GCC Summit/ GCC: Bright Milestones Over Four Decades

Doha December 04 (QNA) - As it enters the 5th decade since its inception, the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf continues its firm steps to achieve its goals and fulfil the interests of the Gulf countries and people and their aspirations for prosperity, peace and stability in the region and the world.
During the last four decades, the Cooperation Council went through many historical and distinguished milestones and positions. The first stage in the Gulf journey was the announcement of the establishment of the Council at the first summit of the six countries held in Abu Dhabi on May 25, 1981. Their Majesties and Highnesses the leaders of the State of Qatar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the State of Kuwait, the Sultanate of Oman, the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Bahrain agreed to establish a council called the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf. They agreed on making Riyadh in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia the location of the permanent headquarters of the Council. They signed the Council's Charter, which aims to develop cooperation and relations between these countries, achieve coordination, integration and interconnectedness, deepen and strengthen the ties and connections that exist between their people in various fields, and establish joint projects and similar systems in all economic, cultural, media, social and legislative fields, in a way that serves their interests and strengthens their ability to adhere to their faith and values.
The decision came as an embodiment of a historical, social and cultural reality, as the GCC countries are distinguished by the depth of religious and cultural ties and family connections between their citizens. These are factors of rapprochement and unification reinforced by the flat geographic area across the coastal desert environment that hosts the inhabitants of this region and facilitates communication between them. The formation of the Council also came in response to the aspirations of the people of the region in recent decades for a form of regional Arab unity.
The Charter of the Cooperation Council has specified the Councils objectives in achieving coordination, integration and interconnection among member states in all fields until unity is achieved, in addition to strengthening ties between peoples, and establishing similar systems in various economic, financial, commercial, customs and transportation fields, and in educational, cultural, social, health, media, tourism, legislative and administrative affairs, as well as scientific and technical progress in the fields of industry, mining, agriculture, aquatic and livestock resources, the establishment of scientific research centers and joint projects and the encouragement of private sector cooperation.
In the second stage of the Councils journey, the second summit of the Cooperation Council was held in Riyadh in November 1981, during which the unified economic agreement was signed. The agreement included the main provisions of the GCC Free Trade Area that entered into force in March 1983 and lasted for about 20 years until the end of 2002 when it was replaced by the GCC Customs Union, which was approved by the Supreme Council on January 1, 2003. The Union aims to remove customs duties and trade barriers between Member States, promote free trade and facilitate the movement of goods and services across borders.
At its 28th session in Doha in December 2007, the Supreme Council approved the Doha Declaration for the establishment of the Gulf Common Market. To create a reference for the laws and procedures of the Gulf Common Market, the "Gulf Common Market Document" was issued, which was approved by the Supreme Council at its 29th session in Muscat, in December 2008.
During the era of the free trade zone between 1983 and 2002, the volume of trade exchange between the GCC countries increased from less than $6 billion in 1983 to $15.1 billion in 2002. As for future prospects, the World Bank expected that the total GDP of the GCC countries would approach $2 trillion in 2022. It stated in a report that investing in green growth can help grow the GCC countries GDP to $13 trillion in 2050. 

At another stage in the journey of the Gulf, and out of the awareness of Their Majesties and Highnesses the leaders of the GCC states that the economic growth and prosperity enjoyed by the GCC states cannot be achieved and developed except in a safe and stable environment, the first meeting of Their Highnesses and Excellencies the Ministers of the Interior of the GCC countries was held in Riyadh on Feb. 23 and 24, 1982. This meeting was the start of coordination and security cooperation between the GCC countries. The first important steps to form the joint military forces of the GCC countries were taken, as a decision was issued to establish the Peninsula Shield Force, which was followed by numerous decisions to develop this force, in line with the changes in the security environment and the types of challenges, risks, and threats that the GCC countries may face. It was developed in 2006 into the Joint Peninsula Shield Forces, and was strengthened with a naval and air force, in order to raise its efficiency. In 2009, the Joint Peninsula Shield Forces were reinforced with a rapid intervention force.
Based on the defense policy of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Their Majesties and Highnesses the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, signed the Joint Defense Agreement at the 21st session of the Supreme Council in Manama in December 2000, marking the beginning of a new phase of joint military action by shifting from military cooperation stage, which lasted for two decades, to joint defense between the countries of the Council. The approval of Their Majesties and Highnesses the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, at the 30th session of the Supreme Council of the Cooperation Council in Kuwait in December 2009, of the defense strategy of the Cooperation Council, constituted an important achievement and an essential step on the path to building the joint defense system of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
In December 1987, the Supreme Council approved, at its 8th session in Riyadh, the comprehensive security strategy, which is a general framework for security cooperation between member states in its comprehensive sense. This strategy has general objectives. As for the Gulf Security Agreement, which is legal articles that address issues of security cooperation between the GCC countries, it was approved by the 33rd Gulf Summit in Manama, in December 2012.
At the 18th Gulf Summit, which was held in the State of Kuwait in December 1997, and in confirmation of the connecting economic interests of the GCC countries and the coordination between them in infrastructure projects, the Supreme Council directed the implementation of the first phase of the electrical interconnection project and approved the establishment of the GCC Electrical Interconnection Authority to establish, operate and maintain the project. The electrical interconnection between the countries of the Cooperation Council is considered one of the most important infrastructure connectivity projects approved by the Cooperation Council.
The project reduces the reserve required in each country, provides mutual coverage in case of emergency, and reduces the cost of producing electrical energy.
At the 36th session in Riyadh in December 2015, the Supreme Council welcomed the vision of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on strengthening joint Gulf action. The Council adopted this vision and assigned the Ministerial Council, the relevant ministerial committees and the Secretariat General to implement what was stated in it. At the 43rd Gulf Summit held in Riyadh in December 2022 , the Summit welcomed the intention of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to present the second phase of the vision of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to enhance Joint Gulf action.
During its journey, the Gulf Cooperation Council completed many projects, perhaps the most important of which is the unified identity card for the GCC states, which is the smart card that contributed to facilitating the movement of citizens between member states and reducing the waiting period at the ports through electronic gates. It also helped in the flow of national labor movement between member states.
In the health field, the GCC countries demonstrated their great cooperation through exchanging medical expertise and technologies between member states and coordinating between them to combat epidemics and preserve the health of communities in the region, as the COVID-19 pandemic provided an opportunity for the Cooperation Council to cooperate and coordinate to combat the spread of the virus, confront the challenges of the pandemic, implement preventive measures, and regulate international travel and trade. 

The Supreme Council approved the media strategy, which focused on enhancing cooperation and opportunities for unity among GCC countries, consolidating the Gulf, Arab and Islamic identity of the GCC countries, deepening Gulf citizenship, supporting the cohesion, security and stability of Gulf society, developing general societal awareness among citizens and residents, and supporting the journey of the Council, and the cooperation and integration between official and informal institutions in member states.
At its 33rd session, the Supreme Council adopted the petroleum strategy for the member states, based on their political and economical importance at the global level, their pioneering role in the petroleum industry, and their energy weight as they possess the largest proven reserves of petroleum.
The GCC countries cooperate extensively with each other in all sectors of the environment. They also cooperate with organizations working in the field of protecting the environment and preserving its natural resources. They joined 33 regional and international agreements and treaties in the field of the environment, protecting wildlife and natural resources, biological diversity, protecting the ozone layer, climate change, and combating desertification and international trade in endangered species.
Abdullah Bishara from the State of Kuwait was the first Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, holding the position from May 1981- March 1993, followed by Sheikh Fahim bin Sultan Al Qasimi from the United Arab Emirates from April 1993 - March 1996, then Jamil Ibrahim Hejailan of Saudi Arabia from April 1996- March 2002, HE Abdul Rahman bin Hamad Al Attiyah from the State of Qatar from April 2002- March 2011, and Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani of Kingdom of Bahrain from April 2011- January 2020. He was succeeded by Nayef Falah Mubarak Al Hajraf from the State of Kuwait from February 2020 - January 31, 2023. The current Secretary-General of the GCC is Jassim Muhammad Al-Budaiwi also from the State of Kuwait. 
In terms of foreign policy, the GCC worked to formulate common and unified positions towards the political issues of concern to its six countries in Arab, regional and international frameworks, in order to deal with the world as one group, based on mutual respect, non-interference in internal affairs and taking into account common interests, in a way that preserves the interests of the GCC countries and enhances their security, stability and prosperity of their people.
Over the past four decades, the Gulf Cooperation Council has succeeded in strengthening its regional position and confirming its presence on the international scene. It became an effective and reliable partner in establishing security and stability around the world. Since its inception, the Council has also sought to expand its partnerships and strategic dialogues with many countries and groups and enter into free trade negotiations with countries and international economic groups to achieve common interests.
The GCC countries have signed many free trade agreements with other countries around the world to facilitate the movement of goods, enhance intra-regional trade, expand investment opportunities, and develop strong trade relations.
The value of trade exchange between the GCC countries and the rest of the world rose to about $1.4 trillion by the end of 2019. China became the largest trading partner of the Gulf Cooperation Council, replacing the European Union in 2020, and the volume of trade exchange between the GCC countries and China in 2021 reached more than $230 billion. The GCC countries as a bloc are India's largest partner with a total trade of $154 billion in the fiscal year 2021-2022.
The volume of trade exchange between the GCC countries and Japan reached more than $98 billion in 2021, while the volume of trade exchange between the GCC and ASEAN reached $93.9 billion in 2019. The trade between the GCC and the United States exceeded $70 billion in 2021. Last year, trade between Russia and the GCC increased and exceeded $11 billion. The volume of trade exchange between the GCC countries and the Central Asia region reached about $ 3.1 billion in 2021.
The Gulf Cooperation Council is a reliable economic player on the international level, as it is a huge market for exports from all over the world. The GCC countries also play a distinguished role in supplying the global energy markets with oil and gas, which are the main engines of the global economy and constitute nearly 60 percent of the energy consumed internationally.
Thus, the Cooperation Council continues its journey for the 5th decade to achieve its goals and the aspirations of its people, turning these goals into a reality aimed at preserving the gains and building for the future with all optimism, confidence and determination. (QNA)