Foreign Minister participates in 8th GCC-Russia Joint Ministerial Meeting

Sochi, Sep. 11 (BNA): Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Minister of Foreign Affairs, participated in the Eighth Joint Ministerial Meeting between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Russian Federation, held in the city of Sochi, Russia.

The meeting was co-chaired by Abdullah Ali Al Yahya, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Kuwait and chairman of the GCC ministerial council, and  Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia. Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary General of the GCC, participated in the meeting.

The joint meeting issued a statement condemning the Israeli attack on the State of Qatar, emphasising that it was a clear violation of international law and an attack on Qatar’s sovereignty. The statement said that the attack undermines diplomatic efforts to achieve security and stability in the region.

The meeting discussed the development of cooperation and bilateral relations between the GCC states and Russia in various domains, based on the strategic dialogue framework established in November 2011, aiming to benefit both parties.

Both sides reviewed the achievements of the 2023–2028 joint action plan and reiterated the importance of continuing efforts across political, trade, investment, energy, environment, health, culture, sports, education, media, and agriculture sectors.

The ministers also discussed major regional and international developments, including the Palestinian issue, the Gaza war, the Ukraine conflict, current regional situations, and efforts to establish lasting peace in the region. They addressed means to confront challenges facing the region and the international community.

The Bahraini delegation included Ahmed Abdulrahman Al Saati, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to Russia, and Saeed Abdul Khaliq, Director of the Coordination and Follow-up Sector at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.