His Excellency Mr Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), emphasised that the joint ministerial meeting between the GCC and the United States of America confirms that the partnership between the two sides is a strategic necessity that ensures security, stability, and prosperity for all, describing it as an important milestone in strengthening this historic path of the strategic partnership between the GCC and the United States of America, and reflects the firm commitment to strengthening this strategic partnership, which has spanned decades of close cooperation between the two sides.
These remarks came during HE the Secretary General’s speech at the joint meeting for the strategic partnership between the GCC and the United States, held on Wednesday (September 24, 2025) on the sidelines of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, USA.
The meeting was co-chaired by His Excellency Mr Abdullah Ali Al Yahya, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Kuwait and President of the current session, and His Excellency Mr Marco Rubio, Secretary of State of the United States of America, with the participation of Their Highnesses and Excellencies the Foreign Ministers of the GCC states.
At the beginning of his speech, HE the Secretary General said: "In recent days, we have witnessed an extremely sensitive event that has endangered our region. Israel carried out a brutal attack on the State of Qatar, in flagrant violation of international law, the Charter of the United Nations, and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the State of Qatar. Israel targeted residential facilities housing members of the negotiating delegation from the Political Bureau of the Hamas movement during the ongoing round of negotiations and mediation undertaken by the State of Qatar to reach an agreement on Gaza. This attack resulted in the martyrdom of a member of the security services and civilian casualties, and also endangered the lives of civilians in a residential area crowded with schools, diplomatic missions, and kindergartens."
His Excellency reiterated that the Council, while affirming its full solidarity with the State of Qatar, stresses that the security of the GCC states is indivisible and that any attack against any of them is an attack against all of them.
HE the Secretary General also stated that the humanitarian tragedy in the Gaza Strip, the ongoing aggression and genocide perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces against the Palestinian people, and the deliberate blockade policy that has led to famine in the Strip, could lead to serious repercussions that threaten regional and international security and peace. He emphasised the need to reach an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, release hostages and detainees, facilitate the unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid, and work towards a just and comprehensive settlement leading to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative and relevant international resolutions.
In a related context, HE the GCC Secretary General stressed the importance of respecting Syria's sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, and rejecting foreign interference in its internal affairs.
He stated that Syria's security and stability are a fundamental pillar of the region's security and stability. He further added: "We condemn the repeated Israeli attacks on Syrian territories and stress the need to adhere to the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement. Regarding Lebanon, we affirm the GCC's firm stance with Lebanon and Cooperation Council's support for its sovereignty, security, and stability, and the importance of implementing political and economic reforms to achieve the aspirations of the Lebanese people for stability, prosperity, and development."
His Excellency also stressed the importance of maintaining maritime security and waterways in the region, and confronting activities that threaten regional and international security and stability, including the targeting of commercial ships, threatening maritime shipping lanes, international trade, and oil facilities in the GCC countries.
His Excellency explained that this meeting comes in light of a long-term strategic partnership based on solid historical foundations, which has grown and developed over the past decades, and aims to establish the pillars of security, stability, and prosperity at the regional and international levels.
"Five joint summits have embodied this direction, the last of which was the Riyadh Summit in 2025 with His Excellency President Trump, which witnessed the signing of trade and investment agreements exceeding a value of $2 trillion. In addition to the summits, foreign ministers have held regular meetings since 2012 within the framework of the Strategic Cooperation Forum, which resulted in the establishment of ten joint working groups covering areas of air and missile defense, maritime security, counter-terrorism, cybersecurity, special forces, economic, commercial and investment cooperation, and others. These meetings have resulted in practical projects to enhance defense and security capabilities, protect sea lanes, and address regional threats," His Excellency stated.
His Excellency also touched on the economic aspect, as the volume of trade exchange between the two sides reached more than $120 billion in 2024, supported by massive Gulf investments in the American economy estimated in the trillions of dollars, in exchange for a growing presence of American capital in the technology, energy, and infrastructure sectors in the GCC countries.
"This relationship has extended to include education and cultural exchange programmes, as tens of thousands of Gulf students study in American universities, and hundreds of thousands of male and female Gulf students have graduated over the past six decades from various American universities. We express our hope that the flow of male and female Gulf students to these academic institutions will continue without facing any consular or procedural obstacles that prevent the achievement of that goal, especially since this cultural and academic exchange has had a tangible impact on strengthening economic and strategic cooperation between our countries and building cultural bridges between our peoples," His Excellency concluded.
