Joint statement by ministerial meeting of GCC-US forum on strategic cooperation 2 New York

  • 2/5/2023
  • 19:35
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GCC member states and the United States reiterated their opposition to Iran’s support for terrorism and its destabilizing activities in the region and pledged to work together to counter its interference, particularly attempts to undermine the security of and interference in the domestic affairs of GCC member states. The Ministers called on Iran to take steps to cooperatively resolve its differences with its neighbors through peaceful means and to immediately cease all destabilizing activities in the region. They emphasized that Iran must demonstrate with concrete confidence-building measures that it is committed to stability and security in the region and peaceful conflict resolution. Recalling the decades-long partnership between the United States and the GCC member states, the Ministers reaffirmed commitment to strengthening their strategic partnership across the full range of issues discussed at Camp David, including facilitating arms transfers, bolstering counter-terrorism efforts, enhancing military preparedness, building cybersecurity capabilities, and establishing a GCC interoperable ballistic missile defense architecture. They welcomed the accomplishments of the working groups established to follow up on the Camp David commitments and endorsed the results of their senior officials’ meeting on September 24 in New York. The United States underscored its commitment to the security of the GCC states, to their political independence, territorial integrity, and safety from external aggression. The Ministers welcomed the return of representatives of the legitimate Government of Yemen to Aden, including President Hadi, and called for an immediate end to the violence by the Houthis and forces loyal to Ali Abdullah Saleh. They reiterated their support for the efforts of the UN Special Envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed to resume a fully inclusive, Yemeni-led, peaceful political dialogue based on relevant UN resolutions, including UNSCR 2216, and consistent with the framework of the GCC Initiative and the National Dialogue Conference. The Ministers underscored that all of Yemen's communities have important roles to play in the country's peaceful governance, and that a durable solution to Yemen’s current crisis needs to be achieved through peaceful political dialogue. The Ministers reaffirmed the call by the Security Council for all sides to comply with international humanitarian law, including taking all feasible precautions to minimize harm to civilians and civilian objects. The Ministers committed to working with coalition and international partners to allow for unfettered and swift access to humanitarian assistance and commercial goods vetted by the UN and its partners, including fuel, to all parts of Yemen through all of Yemen’s ports in order to respond to the urgent needs of all Yemeni people. The Ministers reiterated their support to and called on the international community to increase their humanitarian assistance to Yemen. They strongly condemned the violent and destabilizing tactics of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and ISIL affiliates in Yemen, noting the threat these groups pose both to the people of Yemen and the region. --More 03:57 LOCAL TIME 00:57 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w

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