Back to press releases

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques requests the GCC Secretary-General to Formally Invite Gulf Leaders to Attend the 41st GCC Summit in Saudi Arabia

26 December 2020, Riyadh: The General Secretariat of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) announced today that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has requested from His Excellency the GCC Secretary-General, Dr. Nayef Falah Al-Hajraf, to deliver invitations to their Majesties and Highnesses, the leaders of the GCC states to attend the 41st GCC Summit being held in Saudi Arabia on January 5, 2021. 

The Secretary-General of the GCC, His Excellency Dr. Nayef Falah Al-Hajraf, said: “I had the honor today to personally deliver King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud’s invitation to the President of the United Arab Emirates H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan to attend the 41st GCC Summit taking place in Saudi Arabia on January 5, 2021. The invitation was received by the Vice-President of the United Arab Emirates H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum today in Dubai.”

Dr. Nayef Al-Hajraf said: “The commitment by Gulf leaders to hold the summit on an annual basis, and especially in these exceptional times, is a testament to the strength of the GCC, to their belief in their duty to the people of the Gulf, and their devotion to increasing cooperation and integration among member countries. Today, as the GCC enters its fifth decade with a global pandemic in the backdrop, the institution’s mission to facilitate trade and economic integration among member states is more relevant than at any time in its history. The GCC remains focused on meeting the ambitions of the Gulf people, increasing integration, interconnectedness, and trade among member states and the international community. I am grateful to their Majesties and Highnesses, the leaders of the GCC states, for their tireless efforts to further strengthen Gulf cooperation.”

The GCC holds an annual meeting of the Supreme Council to discuss coordination, integration, and interconnection between the member States and their citizens in economic development, commerce, education, and culture. The GCC’s focus today is on meeting the ambitions of the region’s young and digital population and enabling them to drive the region forward while remembering their shared heritage.  

Below highlights some of the key achievements of the Gulf Cooperation Council over the past four decades: 

  • Establishing the GCC Commercial Arbitration Center. 
  • Establishing the GCC Standardization Organization (GSO) which prepares, approves, and publishes GCC products’ standards. 
  • Applying equal treatment to all GCC citizens in the field of stock ownership, company corporation, and elimination of relevant restrictions across GCC member states. 
  • Permitting Gulf companies to have branches in GCC states, and receive equal treatment to local companies. 
  • Establishing and operating the GCC Interconnected Power Grid in 2014. 
  • Providing intellectual property protection and promotion of innovation and creativity through the establishment of the Patent Office of the GCC.
  • The GCC initiative to resolve the Yemeni crisis in 2011; the ensuing implementation mechanisms to restore the legitimacy of the Yemeni government and condemn the actions of the Houthi coup. 
  • Continued support for the end of disputed territories between the United Arab Emirates and Iran. 
  • Contributing to the international coalition against ISIS and radical terrorist organizations by funding initiatives that confront terrorism and extremism.

-ENDS-

The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf 

The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) is an intergovernmental, political, and economic union founded in 1981 comprising six neighboring countries in the Arabian Peninsula. These states are the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait. The union’s objective is to affect coordination, integration, and interconnectedness between the Member States to achieve unity between them and to deepen and strengthen relations, links, and areas of cooperation that prevails between their citizens in various fields. The Council’s General Secretariat is currently headed by His Excellency Dr. Nayef Falah Al-Hajraf and it is headquartered in the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh.

For the latest news on the 41st GCC summit, visit the GCC41.org. 

###