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ISLAMABAD: The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Thursday issued its first-ever presidential statement on closer cooperation with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)&nbsp;to address regional challenges, including maritime security, terrorism, and food and water security.&nbsp; The statement, submitted by Bahrain&#39;s UN representative in his capacity as Council President for April, recognizes the GCC&rsquo;s &quot;position and expertise&quot; in promoting regional peace and security, and acknowledges its &quot;contributions to regional and international stability through mediation, preventive diplomacy, technical and financial support, and humanitarian engagement.&quot; The Council requested that the UN Secretary-General, Ant&oacute;nio Guterres, include recommendations on strengthening institutional ties with the GCC in his next report, and encouraged regular briefings by the GCC Secretary-General. &quot;The ongoing escalation underlines the urgent need for coordinated multilateral action,&quot; said Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General, stressing the importance of &ldquo;strengthened&rdquo; UN-GCC cooperation. He highlighted the GCC&#39;s role in de-escalating regional tensions, supporting mediation in Gaza, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen, and its cooperation with the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism. &#39;Cornerstone of the global economy&#39;GCC Secretary-General Jassim Albudaiwi told the Council the bloc is a &quot;cornerstone of the global economy&quot;, noting its combined output exceeded $2.3 trillion in 2024 and its members&rsquo; major contribution to global oil and gas supplies. He warned that instability in the Gulf carries global consequences. &quot;Stability in the Arabian Gulf is not merely a regional concern, but is rather a global necessity,&quot; he said. Bahrain&#39;s Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid al Zayani announced that his country had submitted a separate draft resolution to the Council addressing what he described as Iran&#39;s &quot;unlawful and unjustified&quot; attempts to control navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, with a vote expected Friday. Delegates from the United Kingdom and France backed GCC states&#39; right to defend their sovereignty, with France stating Iran &quot;bears the primary responsibility for the current escalation.&quot;&nbsp; Russia countered that the conflict was &quot;the direct result of an unprovoked act of aggression by the United States and Israel against Iran&#39;s territory.&quot; China and Pakistan jointly called for an immediate ceasefire and the launch of peace talks. The GCC, founded in 1981, comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

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The statement, submitted by Bahrain's UN representative, recognizes the GCC’s 'position and expertise' in promoting regional peace and security, and calls for deeper UN-GCC coordination on terrorism, maritime security, water and food security.

UNSC backs stronger cooperation with Gulf bloc in first-ever presidential statement

UNITED NATIONS: The secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) called Thursday for the UN Security Council to authorize the use of force to protect the Strait of Hormuz from Iranian attacks. Iran has placed a stranglehold on the key shipping lane -- threatening fuel supplies and buckling the global economy -- in retaliation to US-Israeli strikes that triggered the month-old Middle East war. &quot;Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz, prevented commercial vessels and oil tankers from transiting, and imposed conditions on some to pass through the Strait,&quot; said Jassem al-Budaiwi, head of the GCC. He spoke in New York at the first Security Council meeting on cooperation with the GCC, which comprises Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman. &quot;We call upon the Security Council to assume its full responsibility and take all necessary measures to protect maritime routes and ensure the safe continuation of international navigation,&quot; al-Budaiwi said. Bahrain has proposed a draft resolution that would greenlight states to use &quot;all necessary measures&quot; to assure free transit through the Strait of Hormuz. However, the measure has divided the 15-member Security Council. According to diplomatic sources, Russia, China and France -- who each hold veto privileges -- have voiced strong objections despite several modifications to the text. &quot;We want a Security Council decision that addresses the situation comprehensively with the root causes, and not one-sided and unbalanced,&quot; Anna Evstigneeva, deputy representative of Iran-allied Russia, said Wednesday. French President Emmanuel Macron has said that a military operation to free the Strait is &quot;unrealistic.&quot; A fifth version of the draft text was distributed to member states on Thursday. Around a fifth of the world&#39;s oil and liquefied natural gas passes through the Strait of Hormuz in peacetime. Its near-total closure is impacting global supplies of important commodities, including oil, liquid natural gas, and fertilizer. That has led to a sharp rise in energy prices.

The secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) called for the UN Security Council to authorize the use of force to protect the Strait of Hormuz from Iranian attacks

Gulf states seek UN mandate for force to protect Hormuz

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has invited Qatari investors to explore new avenues of collaboration under the government&#39;s Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) framework. Talking to Qatar&#39;s Minister of Commerce and Industry Sheikh Faisal bin Thani bin Faisal Al-Thani in Islamabad on Friday, the prime minister underscored the importance of enhancing bilateral trade and investment cooperation, emphasizing opportunities in energy, agriculture, food security, information technology, tourism and infrastructure development, said a report published by state-run Radio Pakistan. &lsquo;Positive trajectory&rsquo;&nbsp;The prime minister expressed satisfaction at the positive trajectory of Pakistan-Qatar relations, anchored in shared faith, values, and mutual respect. He also appreciated Qatar&#39;s role as an important partner and an influential regional mediator. The prime minister conveyed Pakistan&#39;s deep appreciation for Qatar&#39;s consistent support on regional and global issues and reiterated Pakistan&#39;s desire to strengthen collaboration at regional and multilateral fora. In his remarks, Qatar&#39;s Minister of Commerce and Industry conveyed warm greetings from the Qatari leadership and reaffirmed Qatar&#39;s commitment to further deepen economic engagement with Pakistan. Joint Ministerial Commission&nbsp;Qatar&#39;s Minister of Commerce and Industry Sheikh Faisal bin Thani bin Faisal Al-Thani is in Pakistan to co-chair the 6th Session of Pakistan-Qatar Joint Ministerial Commission.&nbsp; He noted that the 6th Session of the JMC provided an important platform to review existing cooperation and identify new initiatives to advance mutually beneficial partnerships. Both sides agreed to continue close coordination to translate shared understandings into tangible outcomes, including greater facilitation for business-to-business linkages and investment projects. Earlier, a press release issued by the Press Information Department of Pakistan on Thursday regarding 6th Session of Pak-Qatar JMC For Economic, Trade, and Technical Cooperation, stated: &quot;In the realm of trade, economy, and investment, the signed protocol commits both nations to realizing His Highness the Amir of Qatar&rsquo;s vision of investing USD 3 billion in Pakistan through the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) or other investment vehicles.&quot;&nbsp; &quot;A key focus was strengthening direct engagement between Pakistan&rsquo;s Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) and the QIA to streamline investment processes and create a conducive environment for Qatari investors. The SIFC was highlighted as a pivotal platform to facilitate investments in priority sectors, ensuring seamless coordination and support for Qatari businesses,&quot; it said.&nbsp;Pak, UAE leaders discuss bilateral issues&nbsp;Meanwhile, a statement issued by Pakistan&rsquo;s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Office of the Spokesperson) on Friday, Pakistan&rsquo;s Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar spoke on the phone late last night with the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister of UAE, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. &nbsp; &ldquo;The two leaders discussed bilateral &amp; multilateral issues of mutual interest as well as recent regional &amp; global developments, and agreed to stay closely engaged,&rdquo; it said. Flow of remittances Dar also chaired a meeting to review the flow of remittances from abroad, particularly from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, said another statement issued by the ministry. He emphasized the need to increase, improve, and facilitate remittance flows through the use of digital technologies, reducing transfer time and minimizing transaction costs to better serve overseas Pakistanis and their families.&nbsp; The meeting was attended by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister of Pakistan Tariq Bajwa, the Governor and Deputy Governor State Bank of Pakistan, and other concerned officials.

Business

Talking to Qatar's Minister of Commerce and Industry Sheikh Faisal bin Thani bin Faisal Al-Thani in Islamabad on Friday, Pakistan's prime minister underscored the importance of enhancing bilateral trade and investment cooperation, emphasizing opportunities in energy, agriculture, food security, information technology, tourism and infrastructure development.

Articles tagged with "GCC"

UNSC backs stronger cooperation with Gulf bloc in first-ever presidential statement

Gulf states seek UN mandate for force to protect Hormuz

Pakistan invites Qatari investors to explore new avenues of collaboration