GCC
Meeting Sets Out More Integrated Economic Cooperation to Tackle Regional,
International Changes

Manama,
7 Oct 2026 (ONA) — The fifteenth consultative meeting between the GCC Ministers
of Commerce and Industry and the Presidents of the GCC Chambers of Commerce and
Industry was held in Manama.

The
delegation of the Sultanate of Oman at the meeting was led by Eng. Ghalib Said
Al Maamari, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment
Promotion for Commerce and Industry, while the delegation of Oman Chamber of
Commerce and Industry (OCCI) was led by Rashid Amer Al Maslahi, First Deputy
Chairman of the Chamber’s Board of Directors.

The
meeting focused on the importance of the relationship between the government
sector and the private sector in the GCC states during the current crisis
witnessed by the region, shedding light on the challenges facing the Gulf
private sector and working to overcome them by providing appropriate solutions.

Jasem
Mohamed Al Budaiwi, GCC Secretary-General, commended the vital and prominent
role played by the private sector in achieving the national objectives of the
GCC states and advancing the joint Gulf cooperation process. He noted that this
meeting contributes to focusing efforts with a view to reaching initiatives
that support the growth of the private sector in the GCC states, so that it
becomes a strong economic driver contributing to the stability of the economy
and development in the and enhancing their international standing as a global
financial, investment and economic hub.

On
his turn, Sheikh Khalifa Jassim Mohammed Al Thani, President of the Federation
of Gulf Chambers and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Qatar Chamber,
stressed the importance of enhancing Gulf integration and building a more
flexible trade and logistics system capable of dealing with regional and
international changes and disruptions, in a manner that ensures the continuity
of the flow of goods, preserves the security of markets and enhances the
competitiveness of the Gulf private sector.

Meanwhile,
Rashid Amer Al Maslahi, OCCI First Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors,
explained that the consultative meeting reviewed and discussed a package of
economic and strategic topics and files of paramount importance. The most
prominent of these was the examination of the challenges of supply chains and
transport related to containers and strategic commodity warehouses, ways to
address the rise in shipping, transport and marine insurance costs, in addition
to formulating a strategy to confront the accelerating geopolitical challenges.

In
a statement to Oman News Agency (ONA), he said that the participants discussed
the proposal to establish a joint digital logistics market to enhance the
efficiency of trade exchange and logistics services, and shed light on the
challenges of factories in Gulf free zones and ways to improve their
competitiveness, as well as addressing the limited access of small and medium
enterprises to the financing needed for expansion and investment across Gulf
markets.

He
added that the meeting affirmed the importance of sustaining close coordination
between the Federation of Gulf Chambers, the General Secretariat and the
relevant authorities in the GCC states, in order to reach practical and
advanced solutions that contribute to removing bureaucratic and procedural
restrictions and creating an attractive and stimulating investment environment
for the Gulf business community.

The
consultative meeting is a strategic dialogue platform that brings together
policymakers and decision-makers on the one hand, and representatives of the
private sector on the other. It constitutes the highest levels of communication
between government officials and the private sector, with the aim of enhancing
joint cooperation and stimulating economic growth in the GCC states, in addition
to addressing the regional and international economic challenges facing the
Gulf private sector.

—
Ends/AH