Doha, - In recent years, relations between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have witnessed a major boom in various fields, especially the economic and trade fields, which has made ASEAN one of the most prominent trade partners of the GCC countries.
As a culmination of the steadily developing and deepening relations between the two regional organizations, the Saudi capital, Riyadh, will host Friday the first summit between GCC countries and ASEAN, where the summit aims, among other things, to strengthen partnerships and expand strategic cooperation between the two sides, including studying and developing recommendations for the future of relations in the fields of free trade and economic cooperation.
The participation of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani in the GCC countries and ASEAN Summit reflects the great importance that the State of Qatar attaches to strengthening the interdependence between the GCC countries and ASEAN and the country's strong commitment to strengthening and deepening its partnership with the GCC and ASEAN.
Preparations for the summit began two months ago, as the GCC Secretary-General held a preparatory meeting on Aug. 15 with the participation of the Secretary-General, Ambassadors of ASEAN Countries, and a delegation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The steps of rapprochement between the GCC and ASEAN began several years ago, as the Ministerial Council decided at its 18th session, March 1986, to approve initial contacts with some Far East countries, particularly ASEAN and the Republic of Korea for considering the possibility of conducting exploratory contacts with these countries.
At its 66th session, the GCC Ministerial Council, upon the recommendation by the GCC Financial and Economic Cooperation Committee, agreed to begin economic dialogues with South East Asia nations.
In implementation of this, the GCC General Coordinator of Negotiations made a visit to the ASEAN headquarters in Indonesia in Feb. 2000, where he met the ASEAN Secretary-General and its senior officials and discussed cooperation between the GCC and ASEAN.
On April 15, 2007, HE Secretary-General of ASEAN Ong Keng Yong visited the Secretariat General and met with the GCC Secretary-General to discuss means to develop relations, exchange viewpoints about the issues of mutual interest, and benefit from the GCC experience in joint economic action.
The first joint ministerial meeting of the strategic dialogue between the GCC and ASEAN was held in May 2009, and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation between the two secretariats was signed on the sidelines of the meeting. The second ministerial meeting for the strategic dialogue between the two sides was also held on May 31 and June 1, 2010, in Singapore. The meeting approved the action plan, which included economic and cultural fields.
In the implementation of the plan, six specialized working groups were formed in the fields of economy, trade, agricultural investment and food security, education, tourism, energy, culture, and media. The third ministerial meeting between the GCC and ASEAN was held on Nov. 26, 2013.
The Ambassadors of the GCC countries accredited in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, were accredited to the ASEAN Secretary-General according to what was agreed upon in the second joint ministerial meeting of the GCC and ASEAN in Singapore in June 2010.
As for the accreditation of the ambassadors of the ASEAN countries in Riyadh to the GCC, the General Secretariat established the accreditation mechanism, which was approved by the GCC member states. (MORE)
Source: Qatar News Agency