Manama: The leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will next month meet British Prime Minister Theresa May in Bahrain.
The meeting will be held on the sideline of the annual GCC Summit to be hosted by the kingdom.
It will be the first such meeting with May since she was appointed as Britain’s second woman Prime Minister in July.
Bahrain’s King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa met May last month during his visit to England, described by Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa as a significant step forward “to develop strategic relations among the GCC countries and the UK in a way that serves the interests of both parties.”
In preparation for the high-level meeting next month, Shaikh Khalid met in the Bahraini capital Manama GCC Secretary General Abdul Lateef Al Zayani and the UK Ambassador to Bahrain Simon Martin.
“The minister expressed pride in the historical UK-GCC relations and their progress at all levels, thanks to the shared keenness to diversify cooperation and reinforce coordination at international gatherings, affirming that the next stage would witness a great momentum and a strong boost for common interests to preserve world security and peace,” a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Al Zayani said the GCC countries were keen on consolidating their ties with all countries, particularly the United Kingdom, for the benefit of all sides and for the sake of positive developments in regional security and stability.
“Ambassador Martin expressed his country’s appreciation of the UK-GCC relations, hailing the GCC role in underpinning security and stability in the region, addressing all the problems facing its member countries and working towards achieving the aspirations of the peoples for further advancement and prosperity,” the statement said.
The GCC, officially known as the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, was established in 1981. It comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and has an area of slightly more than 2 million square kilometres, making up around 15 per cent of the Arab world.
Although several Arab federations and groupings were formed for long decades, it is the only Arab alliance that is intensely active and holds regular summits twice a year and meetings between ministers and officials from the member states.
The GCC summit in Bahrain will be the 37th to be held since the formation of the council.