SEPANG, May 23 — The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is ready to work more closely with Asean to improve security and to keep the region safe and stable.
Its Assistant Secretary General for Political and Negotiations Abdel Aziz Abu Hamad Aluwaisheg said the GCC was established 43 years ago with security as one of its main goals, apart from being a political grouping and economic bloc.
“Security for us is very important. We live, unfortunately, in a very dangerous neighbourhood, but we have maintained stability and security in our region.
"We also try to help our neighbours do the same,” he told Bernama after arriving at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 1 today ahead of the 46th Asean Summit.
Abdel Aziz said the GCC also believes it shares common values with Asean, especially in staying neutral in world politics.
“What we share with Asean on security is that there is a pole to side with one pole or another, in big world conflicts involving the United States (US), Europe, and China, and we have chosen all of us to be independent and neutral.
“We have maintained excellent relationships with all of them, between India and Pakistan, between the US and Russia. I think we should continue to be that way,” he said.
The GCC brings together Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as an economic and political grouping in the Arabian Gulf established via a charter signed in Abu Dhabi, the UAE, on May 25, 1981.
When asked about the GCC’s key expectations from this Asean Summit, Abdel Aziz, a Saudi diplomat, said the forthcoming event is highly anticipated, where both regional groups aim to take their cooperation to the next level.
He added that over the past two years, the GCC has established a solid framework for cooperation with Asean, namely in political dialogue, security, and trade.
“In the economic level, we are already exploring to establish a free trade area between Asean and the GCC. At the same time, we are considering establishing trade ties between Malaysia and the GCC as a group.
"We are optimistic that this summit will push our cooperation further and faster,” Abdel Aziz said.
The attention is also focused on a parallel Asean-GCC Summit and Asean-GCC-China Summit, which is expected to mark a significant step forward in regional diplomacy.
It was reported that Premier Li Qiang will represent China in the inaugural Asean-GCC-China Summit in Kuala Lumpur next week.
The 46th Asean Summit, slated to be held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) on Monday (May 26) and Tuesday (May 27), will bring together leaders from Asean member states to discuss regional issues and chart the future direction of Asean cooperation.
Themed 'Inclusivity and Sustainability', this will mark Malaysia’s fifth time chairing Asean, following previous terms in 1977, 1997, 2005, and 2015.
— Bernama
