Manama: The UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs on Sunday emphasised the significance of cooperation among the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to ensure security and prosperity.

“We must draw conclusions and lessons from the harsh test of the past months and we should [move] together [to] shield our Council,” Dr Anwar Mohammad Gargash said. “Our success is a triumph for each of us, and we should realise that our unity and cooperation are the key to stability and prosperity,” the official posted on his Twitter account.

He conveyed his thoughts hours after the foreign ministers of the six GCC countries — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE — held a regular meeting in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah to review ideas and stances regarding several issues that affected them and the region in general.

High on the agenda was a technical report on the unprecedented diplomatic row between Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE on one side and Qatar on the other.

The ministers agreed on new criteria and standards to ensure the end of the differences amid reports that the three countries wanted more concrete steps by Doha and Qatar asking for more time to implement the Riyadh Agreement signed on April 17.

The decisions by the foreign ministers were mostly welcomed as a positive step towards preserving the unity of the alliance.

In his tweets, Gargash said that the GCC countries must not allow those who have their own agenda to compound issues, particularly at the stage of rebuilding confidence.

“We do realise that there are those who do not want us to succeed,” he warned. “We all have the responsibility to heal the rift, restore confidence and rise above every trivial thing, both in word and action, because we are in a common boat that we want to be robust and resistant.”

The minister said that the UAE during the crisis was explicit in emphasising that such an approach meant a serious conviction about the priority of stability.

“The frameworks for the implementation of the commitments that had been agreed are [now] in place and our hope is that they achieve their purpose and that we all move beyond the crisis in all its manifestations,” he said.

Gargash paid tribute to Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz for his wisdom and keenness on reaching the objectives through clear frameworks in dealing with the delicate situation.

The crisis was the most dangerous storm in the history of the GCC since it was founded in 1981 in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi, he said.

“The atmosphere of the meeting of the GCC foreign ministers was positive and the great efforts deployed by Saudi Arabia were appreciated and lauded,” he said.