New york: Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Albudaiwi emphasized that the joint ministerial meeting between the GCC and the United States confirms the partnership as a strategic necessity that ensures security, stability, and prosperity for all. He described it as an important milestone in strengthening the historic path of the strategic partnership between the GCC and the United States, reflecting a firm commitment to this alliance, which has spanned decades of close cooperation.
According to Saudi Press Agency, these remarks were made during the secretary-general's speech at the joint meeting for the strategic partnership between the GCC and the United States. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The meeting was co-chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Kuwait and President of the current session, Abdullah Ali Al Yahya, alongside the Secretary of State of the United States, Marco Rubio, with participation from the Foreign Ministers of the GCC states.
Albudaiwi noted that the meeting comes in the context of a long-term strategic partnership based on solid historical foundations. This partnership has grown over the past decades and aims to establish security, stability, and prosperity at both regional and international levels.
He highlighted that five joint summits have embodied this direction, with the last summit being the Riyadh Summit in 2025 with President Trump, where trade and investment agreements exceeding $2 trillion were signed. The summits, along with regular meetings of foreign ministers since 2012 within the Strategic Cooperation Forum, have resulted in the establishment of ten joint working groups focused on areas such as air and missile defense, maritime security, counter-terrorism, cybersecurity, and more.
Albudaiwi also pointed out the economic aspect, noting that trade volume between the two sides reached over $120 billion in 2024. This relationship has extended to educational and cultural exchanges, with tens of thousands of Gulf students currently studying in the US, and hundreds of thousands having graduated from American universities over the past six decades.