Jeddah, July 19, 2023, SPA — On behalf of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chaired the GCC-Central Asia Summit today.
HRH the Crown Prince received the leaders and heads of delegations participating in the GCC-Central Asia Summit upon their arrival at the summit’s venue.
Then, group photos were taken of HRH the Crown Prince and the heads of delegations participating in the summit.
After that, the GCC-Central Asia Summit started with the recitation of verses from the Holy Quran.
Then, HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, delivered the following speech:
“In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,
I announce the opening of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Central Asia Summit
Your Majesties, Excellencies and Highnesses,
Dear attendees:
May the peace, blessings, and mercy of Allah be upon you,
I am pleased, on behalf of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, to welcome you to Saudi Arabia, your second country, and ask Allah the Almighty to grant success to our first summit, for the good of our countries that are linked by historic ties.
Our summit today is but an extension of these ties to establish a promising start based on our historical heritage, capabilities, human resources and economic growth that contributed to the gross product of our countries reaching nearly USD 2,3 trillion.
We look forward to working together to open new horizons to take advantage of the available opportunities for joint cooperation in all fields.
Your Majesties, Excellencies and Highnesses,
The challenges facing our world today require that we exert all efforts to strengthen cooperation among our countries to achieve regional security and stability while stressing that it is important to respect the sovereignty, independence and values of each country, and the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of any. We also stress the need to intensify joint action to confront challenges posed to energy security and global food supply chains.
As we announce the action plan adopted by the GCC and the Central Asia countries for the period 2023-2027, which includes political and security dialogue, economic cooperation and investment opportunities, strengthening communication among peoples, and the establishment of effective partnerships between the business sectors in our countries, we commit to continue discussing ways to boost our relations and cooperate even closer.
In this regard, we appreciate your countries’ declaration of support for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the World Expo 2030 in Riyadh, which reflects the strength of relations between our countries and our aspiration for a better future for our region.
In conclusion, we ask Allah the Almighty that the works of this summit be successful.
Peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you.”
After that, their Excellences and Highnesses, leaders and heads of delegations participating in the GCC-Central Asia Summit delivered speeches.
Then, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, announced the adoption of the final communique and the resolutions issued by the summit, saying: “Your Excellences and Highnesses, I announce the adoption of the final communique and the resolutions issued by the summit. We are pleased at the conclusion of the works of the first summit to extend our sincere thanks for your participation and your exerted efforts to succeed in this summit, asking Allah Almighty to bless everyone’s efforts. Thus, I announce the conclusion of the summit’s work and conclude the session”.
The official delegation included Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Defence Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Minister of State, Member of the Cabinet, and National Security Advisor Musaad bin Mohammed Al-Aiban, Minister of Commerce Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi, and Minister of Investment Eng. Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Faleh Al-Falih.
–SPA
21:57 LOCAL TIME 18:57 GMT
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