Kuwait’s Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al Sabah decided to end the two-day Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit a few hours after it began in the absence of Saudi, Bahraini, and Emirati leaders, and without any fruitful outcomes.
During the short summit, the Emir of Kuwait called for establishing a mechanism between the GCC countries to eliminate disputes in the Gulf region, adding that Iranian policies violate international law.
According to Emirati President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a new committee will be formed between Saudi Arabia and the UAE to cooperate and coordinate all military, political, economic, trade, and cultural activities, as well as others, to achieve the best interest of the two countries. It is still unclear if any other country in the GCC could join the alliance.
Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud dispatched his foreign minister to lead the Saudi delegation. The King of Bahrain also did not attend but delegated his deputy prime minister, as he previously said that he will not attend any event where the Qatari Emir is present.
The leaders’ absence comes as part of cutting ties with Qatar and in contradiction with Bahrain’s previous statements of willingness to sit and discuss the issue with Qatar. The summit was mainly dedicated to discussing the issue.
The Emir of Qatar was the only head of state who attended the summit, other than the Kuwaiti leader, as his nation is hosting the summit. It came six months after three members of the GCC and Egypt boycotted Qatar due to accusations of supporting terrorism.
