©Artyom Geodakyan/TASS
Cooperation between Russia and member countries of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, also known as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), does not seek to hurt anyone, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday.
"Today’s meeting confirmed that we always lay bare our positions honestly and no one of us is seeking to cooperate against anyone else," he said after the sixth ministerial meeting of the Russia-GCC strategic dialogue in Moscow.
He stressed that neither Russia nor the Gulf countries had ever tried to interfere with each other’s relations with third countries. In his words, this is what distinguishes them "from a range of other relations, which, regrettably, are not equal."
The top Russian diplomat described Russia’s relations with Gulf countries as "friendly, cooperative and based on mutual trust, due account of each other’s interests, and the desire to form consensus approaches to any issues under discussion."
Lavrov met with representatives from the Gulf Cooperation Council nations on Monday. The meeting adopted a joint statement and a joint plan of action for 2023-2028.
Set up in 1981, the GCC includes six countries, namely Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Saudi Arabia. Its key goals are political coordination and economic integration between the member nations, as well as cooperation to ensure security in the Gulf. The first meeting of the Russia-GCC strategic dialogue, which was established in 2016, was held in Riyadh in 2017.
Russia notes importance of closer cooperation with Saudi Arabia — Lavrov
Moscow thinks it is very important to maintain diplomatic ties and develop cooperation with Saudi Arabia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a meeting with his Saudi counterpart, Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, on Monday.
"During the sixth round of Russia-Gulf Cooperation Council strategic dialogue in Moscow, we have a unique opportunity to focus on issues of bilateral cooperation. The Russian side once again stresses the importance of maintaining diplomatic relations and expanding cooperation between Russia and Saudi Arabia," the Russian foreign ministry quoted him as saying.
The top Russian diplomat noted that the positions of the two countries on a range of international issues coincide. "Russian President Vladimir Putin and King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia show solidarity during their regular dialogues within various formats," he stressed.
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