Qatar to host foreign ministers from Gulf on Sunday

DECEMBER 3, 2023 11:19

Updated: DECEMBER 3, 2023 21:34

A Qatar Airways flight. (photo credit: REUTERS) — A Qatar Airways flight.

(photo credit: REUTERS)

The meeting, reported in Arab News, is expected to take place ahead of the 44th Gulf Cooperation Council Summit.

Qatar was expected to host foreign ministers from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries on Sunday. The meeting, reported in Saudi daily Arab News, is expected to take place ahead of the 44th Gulf Cooperation Council Summit, the bloc said in a statement on Saturday.

“GCC Secretary-General Jasem Albudaiwi said the bloc’s 158th ministerial meeting will be chaired by Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman – whose country is also the current president of the ministerial council – and will be attended by member states’ foreign ministers,” Arab News reported.

The GCC meeting will take place on Tuesday, in light of the continuing conflict in Gaza. Doha hosts Hamas leaders and has positioned itself as a mediator for the pause in fighting. The report about plans for the upcoming meeting was thin on details. But it can be expected to be important for regional developments.

Family group photos of all the participating members during the Member States of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) Summit (ASEAN-GCC Summit) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia October 20, 2023 (credit: Saudi Press Agency via Reuters)

Gulf countries have conducted outreach in the wake of the October 7 Hamas attack. They reached out to the West, as well as to China and Russia. “The meeting will also cover topics related to dialogues and strategic relations between GCC states and other countries and international blocs, in addition to the latest regional and international developments,” Arab News noted.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II met with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio on Saturday on the sidelines of the COP28 conference in the UAE. The two countries are trading partners, and the report at Jordan’s Petra News noted that they also discussed Gaza.

“Turning to the situation in Gaza, the two sides agreed on the need to work towards a permanent ceasefire and to maximize and sustain the volume of humanitarian aid to the Strip, while ensuring its direct and uninterrupted delivery.” Jordan’s King Abdullah “reaffirmed Jordan’s rejection of attempts to displace the Palestinians in Gaza, or any attempts to separate the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, stressing the need to stop settler violence against the Palestinians in the West Bank,” according to the report.