Manama: Bahrain’s Prime Minister Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa has said that a Gulf union has become a necessity for a better present and a more prosperous future for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and their people.
“The call by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to move from the Council to the union is an obligation that we must all fulfil,” Prince Khalifa said.
“It is definitely the best option to preserve our achievements. It is a popular demand that requires the GCC states to move towards it without hesitation in order to consolidate their political, economic and security bonds,” he said as he received participants at a major conference spotlighting GCC national and regional security hosted in Bahrain.
Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz in December 2011 called on the leaders of fellow GCC countries Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to strengthen their alliance established in 1981 and turn into a Gulf union within a single entity.
“I ask you today to move from a stage of cooperation to a stage of union in a single entity,” King Abdullah said at the opening session of a GCC summit in Riyadh. “No doubt, you all know we are targeted in our security and stability.”
Even though the six member states endorsed the call, its application has been delayed after some capitals asked for more time to look at the details.
Bahrain has been one of the strongest supporters of the proposed union and Prince Khalifa has been a leading figure in the drive towards it.
“Meetings and consultations to discuss and review ways to reinforce ties and strengthen cooperation, particularly in the areas of food and collective security, should be held more frequently,” Prince Khalifa said.
“Our aspirations as Gulf states will remain steady and no circumstance will obstruct or stall our drive to reinforce the special bonds and to assess responsibly every stage of our common movement forward towards wider horizons,” he said, quoted by Bahrain News Agency (BNA) late on Wednesday.
The Bahraini Premier referred to King Abdul Aziz, the driving force behind the establishment of Saudi Arabia as a country, as a source of inspiration for the union.
“We can draw on his experience and work as Gulf states towards a union,” he said.
“The GCC countries have succeeded in building a strong entity that has been moving steadily towards achieving integrated prosperity in all areas and providing factors of welfare and success. Now, there is an increasingly urgent need to protect these assets and achievements,” he said.
