Greater unification of Gulf states in focus

Foreign Ministers of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will hold an important meeting on Sunday to discuss greater unification of the Gulf States and to review all aspects of a plan to transform the GCC into a strong unified “Gulf Union.” This 124th ministerial meeting, to be held in Jeddah after the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit, will also examine key regional issues.
Abdulatif Al-Zayani, GCC secretary general said: “The initiative to move from a GCC bloc to a Gulf Union will be discussed in detail by GCC foreign ministers.”
Gulf States are already tied through unified policies, militarily, politically and economically under the mandate of the GCC Charter.
Al-Zayani said, “Unification is meant to empower GCC bloc countries and empower members to come to the aid of one another in times of threat,” he said.
A GCC commission in December last year to discuss the initiative completed its review and submitted comments and recommendations to GCC foreign ministers recently.
Al-Zayani said foreign ministers would discuss other regional and international concerns. The agenda will include discussion on the situation in Yemen, Syria and Iran and a review of reports filed by ministerial committees for GCC joint action.
“There is an urgent need to boost cooperation between member states in areas of politics, defense and economy, for the sake of prosperity and for collective security,” he said.