GCC leaders arrive in Riyadh for 40th Summit

GCC leaders arrive in Riyadh for 40th Summit
December 10, 2019, 10:28 am

Saudi Arabia greets Oman's delegate to the GCC Summit, Fahd bin Mahmoud al-Said, Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers. (AFP)

Saudi Arabia's King Salman on Tuesday welcomed the heads of delegations from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries for the 40th summit in Riyadh to discuss regional and global political developments.

The summit, held under the chairmanship of King Salman bin Abdulaziz, will see heads of state discuss key topics that include maritime security, Iran’s interference in the region, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the Syrian crisis, the war in Yemen, as well as enhancing cooperation within the council.

King Salman extended an invitation to the leaders of the six-nation alliance, including Qatar’s emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, last week.

King Salman received the head of the delegations on Tuesday, including the UAE delegate Vice President and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and Oman's delegate Fahd bin Mahmoud al-Said, Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers.

King Salman receives the head of the Qatari delegation Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani. (SPA)

The invitation to Sheikh Tamim comes amid signs of reduced animosity between Qatar and the Kingdom. However, diplomatic sources and analysts told Al Arabiya that the summit is not expected to produce a breakthrough in the stand-off with Qatar despite recent reports of exploratory talks.

Sheikh Tamim will be represented by Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, according to Qatar News agency.

This year’s annual summit comes amid heightened regional tensions following the September 14 attacks on two Saudi Aramco oil facilities and on vessels in the region, which Iran is widely accused of carrying out.

Ahead of the summit, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs from the Gulf countries arrived in the capital on Monday to hold a preparatory ministerial council meeting to set the agenda for the following day.

SOURCE : Al Arabiya English

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