GCC secretary-general calls for strengthening Gulf cooperation, integration ahead of Saudi Arabia summit

GCC secretary-general calls for strengthening Gulf cooperation, integration ahead of Saudi Arabia summit

RIYADH: Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders meeting in Saudi Arabia this week will work to strengthen integration as the region recovers from the coronavirus pandemic, the bloc's secretary-general said on Sunday.

The GCC has achieved many accomplishments and integrative projects over the past four decades due to the vision and wisdom of the leaders of the member states, Nayef Al-Hajraf said in an interview with Saudi state-run Al-Ekhbariya TV.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman has invited Gulf leaders to participate in the 41st GCC Summit in AlUla on Tuesday.

Among the achievements, Al-Hajraf highlighted the Gulf common market, the customs union, the interconnective power grid, free capital movement and several other acquisitions enjoyed by GCC citizens, which establishes the next stage of the bloc's "march to build a bright future.“

Al-Hajraf said that GCC transport ministers met on Dec. 24 and approved the establishment of the Gulf Railway Authority, a pioneering development project that will enhance the opportunities for intra-GCC trade, which contributed to around $95 billion in 2018. 

"This will increase if this system is completed, which will provide cheaper means of transporting goods and thus enhance the work of intra-GCC trade,“ he added.

Al-Hajraf said "today the GCC is steadily moving toward five decades of