His Excellency Mr. Jassem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation relations between the Cooperation Council and the Republic of Ukraine, within the framework of implementing the Memorandum of Understanding that was signed between the two sides in November 2017, and what was agreed upon in the first meeting of the strategic dialogue between the Foreign Ministers of the GCC states and Ukraine in June 2022. 

Elaborating on the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, HE the Secretary General clarified that the position of the Cooperation Council is based on the principles of international law and the United Nations Charter, preserving the international system based on respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of states, non-interference in their internal affairs, and not to use or threaten to use force, according to what was mentioned in the statement issued by the GCC Supreme Council during its 43rd session held in December 2022.

This came during HE the Secretary General’s meeting with His Excellency Mr. Anatolii Petrenko, Ambassador of the Republic of Ukraine to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on Monday (March 27, 2023) at the headquarters of the General Secretariat in Riyadh.

During the meeting, HE the Secretary General praised the mediation efforts made by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the successful visits paid by His Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to Russia and Ukraine, and the support of the GCC countries for the cease-fire efforts and politically resolving the crisis, giving priority to dialogue and settling the conflict through negotiations.

During the meeting, the officials discussed the means to strengthen the Gulf-Ukrainian relations in a way that contributes to serving common interests, in addition to reviewing the latest regional and international developments.

The meeting was attended by His Excellency Dr Abdulaziz Hamad Aluwaisheg, Assistant Secretary General for Political and Negotiation Affairs at the General Secretariat of the GCC.