Doha, 29 March 2024

GCC Secretary General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi stated that the vision for regional security is not just a political commitment but a moral responsibility toward unity. He added that ‘our common security is the foundation upon which we build our hopes and dreams for a better future’, Chinese News Agency XINHUA reported.

“In the GCC, we believe that dialogue, cooperation, coordination, and respect for different perspectives are fundamental and solid shields to face all challenges,” Albudaiwi stressed.

Senior officials from GCC states’ foreign ministries, diplomats, and experts in related fields attended the launch ceremony of the vision on Thursday.

Gul Cooperation Council (GCC) has presented its unified vision for regional security for the first time in its 43-year history. The published document, which outlined steps to be taken to overcome differences, emphasised that disagreements should be settled through diplomacy, not force.

Jassem Al Budaiwi, GCC Secretary General at a ceremony held on Thursday at the GCC General Secretariat in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, said,’Disputes between countries should be resolved through negotiations, diplomacy, and dialogue, rejecting the use or threat of force, in order to protect the security and stability of the region’.

He said that ‘The GCC’s vision for regional security is not just a political commitment, but an ethical dedication that unites us all. Our common security is the foundation upon which we build our hopes and dreams for a better future’.

Head of Qatar delegation,  Dr. Khalid bin Fahad Al Khater, Director, Policy and Planning Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in his speech on the occasion said that the launch of the vision coincides with increasing international and regional changes, which requires intensified coordination to deal with them and avoid their serious consequences.

He said that the GCC countries are working to strengthen the bonds of collective security and safety and share a common approach to seeking to calm tensions, address instability in the region through diplomatic and economic means, and work to end conflicts that violate the sovereignty of states, through dialogue and resolving differences through negotiations and by diplomatic means, and not resorting to force to preserve the security and stability of the region.

Dr AlKhater said that today’s event is the culmination of joint Gulf efforts through the regional security team to reach a common vision for the GCC towards regional security in the Gulf region, this vision represents the starting point for dealing with regional security issues in the coming period through the existing dialogues with several partners in this regard.

Dr AlKhater also participated in a dialogue session organized by the GCC General Secretariat during the event on the GCC Regional Security Vision and ways to enhance it and move forward with it. He said that promoting regional security is a priority for the State of Qatar during its presidency of the current session of the GCC, which reflects Qatar’s long-standing commitment to the principle of contributing to strengthening the security of the region by building bridges of dialogue and cooperation.

The document also stresses the importance of ensuring the stability of global energy markets.

“The vision emphasizes the importance of working intensively to ensure the stability of global energy markets, in a way that achieves the interests of producer and consumer countries, spares the world the negative effects resulting from market fluctuations and disruption of global supply chains, and calls for avoiding the politicization of these issues due to the negative repercussions that they may have on the global economy,” the GCC document said.

The newly unified vision was a substantive revision of earlier formulations following internal and external developments, GCC Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Negotiation Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg wrote in Saudi Arabia-based newspaper Arab News.

“The objective of the newly formulated vision is clearly to preserve the security and stability of the GCC states and the prosperity of its people but also to contribute significantly to regional and international peace and security,” Mr Aluwaisheg wrote.

“This means tackling regional challenges, transforming them into opportunities for development and prosperity, building the future through settling disagreements by peaceful means, and finding consensus-based solutions that ensure respect for the legitimate interests of all parties while avoiding polarization.”