Foreign ministers from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states met in Saudi Arabia on Monday for the council’s 161st ministerial summit and held separate talks with their counterparts from BRICS nations Russia, Brazil, and India.
Based in Riyadh, the GCC is a regional political and economic union made up of Gulf monarchies, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attended the summit for the seventh GCC-Russia Joint Ministerial Meeting of Strategic Dialogue.
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The meeting, held in Moscow last year, focused on enhancing cooperation on key issues, including the war in Gaza, according to participants’ opening statements.
After the session on the Israel-Hamas war, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who chaired the meeting, stated that while “the ongoing efforts of Qatar and its partners” had not yet “resulted in the desired outcomes,” it was crucial for those involved to “apply all forms of pressure” to achieve a ceasefire and a lasting political solution.
Lavrov expressed confidence that the GCC would play a growing role in resolving the region’s complex challenges.
Later that day, Lavrov met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, for bilateral talks.
Although Saudi Arabia has long been a regional ally of the US, a key adversary of Russia, it has worked in recent years to strengthen its ties with Moscow.