JEDDAH, 22 January 2003 — The member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council yesterday called on Russia to step up diplomatic efforts to prevent a threatened US war against their Iraq and to resolve the crisis peacefully.
“We call on Russian diplomacy to...be more active at this delicate stage and lead diplomatic efforts aimed at finding a political and peaceful solution to the Iraqi crisis and prevent war which we all reject,” GCC Secretary-General Abdul Rahman Atiyya said.
Opening the first conference between businessmen from the GCC states and Russia, Atiyya said the six-member bloc was concerned about war affecting the people of Iraq, its stability, unity and territorial integrity.
Atiyya also warned of the impact another war will have on the stability of the whole Gulf region. Atiyya’s speech was delivered by Dr. Anwar Al-Abdullah, director of energy and economic affairs at the GCC Secretariat.
Former Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov, who heads the Russian delegation, on Monday warned that a US war against Iraq could split the world on religious lines.
Primakov, currently president of the chambers of commerce and industry in Russia, also feared war may lead to internal conflicts in many states.
Primakov met with Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, in Riyadh, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The Jeddah conference aims at promoting Gulf investments in the Russian federation especially in the field of energy. Moscow estimates that total investments from Gulf states in Russia stand at just $100 million.
“This conference will serve as a launching pad for a comprehensive economic partnership between the GCC states and Russia with a long-term perspective,” Atiyya said.
The forum called for joint investments in basic industries such as petrochemicals, oil refining, energy services, gas industry, minerals, food, medicine, electricity and water. It also demanded an increase in trade exchange and transfer of technology.
Georgie Petrov, vice chairman of the federation of Russian chambers, described the forum as an important step toward opening more business areas for cooperation.
“These areas will not be limited to energy. But will cover various other economic and commercial areas,” he said, and underscored the growing economic and commercial ties between the Arab world and his country.
Mohammed Al-Manie, chairman of the federation of GCC chambers of commerce and industry, said there is more scope for cooperation between the two sides.
He hoped that the forum would remove the obstacles facing the growth of bilateral ties.
Ibrahim Al-Jomaih, a member of the Jeddah chamber’s board, expressed the Kingdom’s desire to strengthen cooperation with Russia. He stressed the need for activating the GCC-Russian Business Council.
Al-Jomaih called for a joint trade agreement to set out strategies for industrial and commercial cooperation. He stressed the importance of holding trade exhibitions and exchanging visits by business delegations.
