What is the Gulf Cooperation Council? Gulf Cooperation Council Review

Overview

The GCC was established on May 25, 1981 in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. Its member states include Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The economic integration agreement between the member states was signed in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, on November 11 of the same year. These six countries are usually collectively referred to as the GCC or the Six Persian Gulf States.

Not every country bordering the Persian Gulf (called the Arabian Gulf by Arabs) is a member of the GCC.

• Iran was deliberately excluded because it is not an Arab country.

• After the Iran-Iraq War ended in 1989, Iraq applied to join the GCC, but the six Gulf countries were wary of the political and military ambitions of then-Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, so they did not agree to the application, even though Iraq had been the top Arab Gulf country in boycotting Iran until 2003. Although Iraq later took the lead in establishing the Arab Cooperation Council to counter the influence of the GCC, the council was eventually disbanded in 1994 due to operational difficulties.

• Although Yemen is not geographically located in the Persian Gulf region, it has been negotiating with the six Persian Gulf countries since 2000 to become the seventh member of the GCC; however, the negotiations have been postponed indefinitely due to the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen in 2015. However, at the 22nd GCC Summit held in December 2001, it was agreed that Yemen would join the GCC Council of Ministers of Health, Education, Labor and Social Affairs and other institutions.

purpose

• Formulate similar rules in areas such as economics, finance, trade, customs, tourism, legislation and administration;

• To promote scientific and technological progress in industry, mining, agriculture, water power and animal husbandry;

• Establishment of scientific research centers;

• Setting up joint investments;

• Encouraging private sector collaboration;

• To strengthen and intensify the ties, exchanges and cooperation among the peoples of the member states;