His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa today addressed the 18th Consultative Meeting of the Supreme Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and GCC-Central Asia Summit (C5).
Held today at the King Abdullah International Conference Centre in Jeddah, the 18th GCC Consultative Meeting and the GCC-Central Asia Summit were chaired by Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, with the participation of the heads of the delegations of GCC and Central Asian countries.
The following is HM King Hamad’s keynote speech:
"In the name of Allah, the most gracious, the most merciful,
Dear Brother, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Chairman of the Summit,
My brother, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister,
Your Majesties, Highnesses and Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates,
May the peace, mercy and blessings of God be upon you.
At the outset, we extend sincere congratulations to all of you on the occasion of the new Hijri Year, praying to the Almighty for a year of goodness, peace, and blessings for the peoples and countries of the Arab and Islamic world, and on this occasion, we must congratulate the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the great success of the Hajj season, which was distinguished by the high level of its organisation in serving the pilgrims of the House of God, and by the keenness to provide all aspects of care and attention for the performance of Hajj rituals in the best way.
It is also a pleasure to extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to our brother, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and to His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, for the kind invitation and for hosting this blessed gathering between the Gulf Cooperation Council and Central Asian countries, with its ambitious strategic dimensions, so that relations between these regional blocs can be launched on a solid base of fraternal rapprochement, political understanding, economic integration, knowledge and cultural exchange, and security and defense partnerships to preserve the security and stability of their countries.
Given what has been achieved between our countries in terms of the historical and deep-rooted ties and our solid cooperative relations, and taking into account areas of development on our path of progress and peace, our meeting today is the culmination of those serious endeavors to bring visions closer and to strengthen the basis of common vital interests to protect our spiritual values and civilizational gains. Further, it is a venue to work collectively and systematically to spread the culture and practices of peace and tolerance, enrich the channels of dialogue among religions and civilizations, outlaw religious, sectarian and racial hate speech, and to deter hostile terrorist forces by combating their organizations and sources of funding, in order to achieve the goal of building a regional community based on peaceful coexistence and mutual trust, while preserving the sovereignty of states and their right to long-term development.
We all agree that the key to achieving sustainable collective renaissance requires us to take more serious and effective measures to advance comprehensive partnerships that strengthen human solidarity in the face of crises, to strengthen areas of security coordination, to protect and secure freedom of navigation for oil and energy supplies and global trade, and to prohibit weapons of mass destruction.
In this context, we underline the importance of linking the outcomes of our strategic dialogue and political coordination with international policies and UN commitments in accordance with institutional frameworks and mechanisms to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals in their broad fields, focusing on trade and investment exchange in sectors such as energy, health, education, sport, tourism, digital transformation, food and environmental security.
Distinguished delegates,
Taking into account the collective human and material capabilities of our countries, in addition to their long-standing expertise and successful experiences, our consultations establish a strong and ambitious partnership that raises the levels of joint cooperation, initiates peaceful and diplomatic solutions to end wars and conflicts and stop human suffering, and brings closer views on regional and international developments to work together towards a more stable and bright future, as well as accelerating efforts to find a just solution to the Palestinian issue will remain an urgent priority, so as to reach a lasting and comprehensive peace to which we all aspire, by delivering the right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative based on the two-state solution.
In conclusion, we cannot fail to place on record our deep appreciation and pride in the exceptional positions and efforts of the brotherly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to achieve all that is necessary on the path of human solidarity and stable relations among the international community, praising the results of those sincere efforts with their positive developments that make the region an inspiring model and a remarkable reality of all that is good, and fulfilling our hopes for the elevation and prosperity of humanity, with our sincere wishes for the Kingdom’s success in its endeavors to host Expo 2030, God willing.
Happy new year, and may the peace, mercy and blessings of God be upon you."
Source: Bahrain News Agency