Sochi: Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council Jassem Albudaiwi on Thursday affirmed that the strategic dialogue between the GCC and Russia constituted a significant platform for boosting the bilateral relations and coordination on various issues. Albudaiwi was speaking during the eighth ministerial meeting of the GCC-Russia Strategic Dialogue, held in the Russian city of Sochi. The meeting was co-chaired by the State of Kuwait Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah Alyahya and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.
According to Kuwait News Agency, the GCC chief condemned the blatant aggression by the Israeli occupation on the territories of the State of Qatar, saying it was a flagrant breach of its sovereignty, international law, and the UN charter. He affirmed the GCC states' full solidarity with Qatar and pledged all resources at Doha's disposal to face such an offensive, while urging the international community to condemn it and halt the Israeli violations that threaten the region's stability.
He lauded the efforts by the Qatari security and civil authorities to cope with repercussions of the attack and safeguard citizens' safety, noting that such actions by the occupation hamper the Qatari mediation to enforce a cease-fire in Gaza and release prisoners. He also praised Doha's role in this regard.
Albudaiwi emphasized that peaceful and diplomatic solutions remain the ideal avenues for settling strifes, renewing the GCC support for the Palestinian cause, rejection of the genocide and the siege of Gaza, and emphasizing the necessity that the international community uphold its duties to secure the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gazans. He urged the implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 2730, which calls for protecting humanitarian workers.
He also reaffirmed backing for the UAE sovereignty on three Iran-occupied islands, urging Tehran to respond to efforts aimed at settling the issue through negotiations or refer it to the International Court of Justice. Moreover, Albudaiwi stressed the necessity that Iraq respect Kuwait's sovereignty and implement joint navigation agreements in addition to completing the marine borders demarcation.
On Syria, he affirmed the GCC rejection of the Israeli attacks on the country, affirming support for Syria's sovereignty and territorial sanctity. He also renewed adherence to the international laws on the Ukraine crisis, calling for peaceful solutions through dialogue, and indicated the GCC's help in mediation, prisoners swap, and delivering humanitarian aid.
He affirmed the keenness on boosting cooperation in the political, commercial, cultural, educational, agricultural, health, and energy sectors according to the joint task plan (2023-2028), revealing that the GCC Secretariat General would present proposals on cooperation in tourism and cybersecurity during the meeting.