GCC Secretary-General: Gulf-French partnership is solid, and we look forward to expanding its areas
New York, 21 Sep (KUNA) -- The Secretary-General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC), Jasem Mohamed Al-Budaiwi, affirmed on Monday that relations between the GCC states and France are based on a solid strategic partnership, shared interests, and common visions. He stressed the importance of continuing efforts to elevate and expand these relations to support security, stability, and peace in the region and the world.
Al-Budaiwi made these remarks in a speech delivered during the joint ministerial meeting between the GCC and France in New York. The meeting was chaired by Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, Bahrain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and current Chairman of the GCC Ministerial Council, and Jean-Noel Barrot, France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, with the participation of the GCC foreign ministers.
Al-Budaiwi stated that the GCC views France as a key strategic partner, both in bilateral relations and within the framework of Gulf-European relations. He commended Paris’s role in supporting and strengthening the partnership between the GCC and the European Union.
He expressed the GCC states’ hope that the second GCC-European Union Summit, scheduled to be held in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on October 24, will serve as a significant milestone for elevating this partnership and achieving tangible results in areas of priority for both sides.
Al-Budaiwi noted that the GCC General Secretariat has continued coordinating with the French side on the Joint Action Plan project, resulting in an updated version that includes mechanisms for cooperation across various fields. He expressed his hope that the procedures for its adoption will be completed at the earliest opportunity.
On the economic front, Al-Budaiwi highlighted the strength of relations between the two sides, noting that trade volume between the GCC states and France has exceeded 60 billion euros (approximately 69 billion US dollars), reflecting the available opportunities and potential for enhancing trade, investment, and cooperation in priority sectors.
Regarding the regional situation, he stated that the meeting takes place amid highly delicate circumstances in the region, referring to the Iranian attacks on GCC states since February 28, which targeted vital facilities and diplomatic premises, “despite the GCC states not being parties to the war and having made efforts toward mediation and containing escalation.”
He emphasized the GCC states’ stance calling for ensuring the security and safety of waterways and freedom of international navigation, and the necessity of complying with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2817. He also called for the restoration of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to pre-February 28 levels, and rejected the imposition of any unilateral fees or conditions on the right of passage.
In this context, he commended France’s stance against the aggression on GCC states and its participation in international efforts aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Regarding the Palestinian issue, Al-Budaiwi reaffirmed its centrality and the necessity of ending the Israeli occupation and establishing an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative and international legitimacy resolutions.
He also commended France’s decision to recognize the State of Palestine and its role, in partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in advancing the implementation of the two-state solution. He praised France’s supportive stances on halting settlement expansion and settler violence, as well as its efforts supporting Lebanon.
Al-Budaiwi concluded by affirming that the partnership between the GCC and France goes beyond addressing current challenges to building a shared vision for a more secure, stable, and prosperous future, and expanding cooperation in political, security, economic, investment, technological, energy, defense, and educational fields.
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