US, GCC enjoy sturdy relation

A sturdy relation and strategic partnership are what bind the U.S. and GCC countries, Kuwait's First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah said Thursday.

"The US-GCC Summit had fruitful outcomes, with both sides 'frankly' discussing major issues and means to peaceful solutions to sustain safety and security in the (Middle East) region," Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled told KUNA and Kuwait TV late last night following the US-Gulf Cooperation Council Camp David Summit, which concluded at the presidential retreat in Maryland, United States.

His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Amir of Kuwait, alongside other GCC leaders, discussed the situations in Yemen, Iraq, Syria, Libya and the Middle East peace process with President Obama in the light of a US-GCC strategic partnership, majorly of which involves military and security cooperation, Kuwait's top diplomat noted.

Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled said that for the U.S. "as a world power and a permanent member of the UN Security Council, it is mutually beneficial to exchange views and hold discussions in a bid to buttress such partnership."

A joint statement issued late Thursday here said that US and GCC plan to build closer relations in "all fields, including defence and security cooperation, and develop collective approaches to regional issues in order to advance their shared interest in stability."

It added that the U.S. was prepared to work jointly with GCC states to deter and confront an external threat to any GCC state's territorial integrity (and) stands ready to work with GCC partners to determine urgently what action may be appropriate.

"In this spirit, and building on the U.S.-GCC Strategic Cooperation Forum, the leaders discussed a new US-GCC strategic partnership to enhance their work to improve security cooperation, especially on fast-tracking arms transfers, as well as on counter-terrorism, maritime security, cyber security, and ballistic missile defence," said the U.S.-GCC joint statement.
Soure: WAM