Gulf Arab states stress intertwined fates amid bloc-wide talks

(MENAFN - Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) RIYADH, June 16 (KUNA) -- Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states agreed on Wednesday that common challenges lie ahead some four decades after the bloc's inception, highlighting the countries'' "intertwined fates." The GCC has "risen to prominence" given its growing contributions towards global peace and security, Bahrain's Foreign Minister Dr. Abdullatif Al-Zayani said as he chaired bloc-wide talks on a foreign ministerial level, with his Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Dr. Ahmad Al-Nasser Al-Sabah among the participants.He chronicled the bloc's most notable accomplishments, saying member states should not "rest on their laurels" but strive for greater achievements that would help bring common aspirations to fruition.On the bloc's primary concerns, he said the Palestinian issue takes precedence over other matters, emphasizing the ultimate goal of the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.He recalled a gathering of GCC leaders in the historic Saudi city of Al-Ula earlier this year, which yielded a resolution to a dispute between Qatar and Gulf states, hailing the event as a "significant show of Gulf solidarity and unity." The Bahraini foreign minister shored up support for a Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Iran-allied Houthi group, saying the bloc supports all measures Riyadh takes to preserve its security and stability in the face of the "Houthi onslaught." The talks will focus on matters of common concern within the bloc, in addition to current happenings in the region and around the world, he added. (end) mdm.nam MENAFN17062021000071011013ID1102297159