Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Saudi Deputy Prime Minister, stressed on Wednesday that the challenges confronting our world today necessitate concerted efforts to bolster cooperation among our nations to achieve security and stability in our region.
Speaking at the opening of the Gulf Summit with Central Asian countries (Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan) in Jeddah, the Saudi Crown Prince said, “On behalf of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, I am pleased to welcome you in your second home, praying to Allah that we succeed in our inaugural summit for the benefit of our countries bound by deep historical ties.”
He added, “Our summit today extends these ties, to establish a promising launchpad based on our historical legacy, human resources, and economic growth, which has contributed to our countries’ gross domestic product reaching approximately $2.3 trillion. We look forward to working together to open up new horizons, to take advantage of available opportunities, and to collaborate in all areas.”
Prince Mohammed bin Salman emphasized the importance of respecting the sovereignty, independence, and values of nations, and refraining from intervening in their internal affairs, while underlining the necessity of intensifying joint efforts to address anything that affects global energy security and food supply chains.
The Saudi Crown Prince also appreciated the declaration of Central Asian countries supporting Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the “Expo 2030” in Riyadh, noting that it “reflects the robust relationship between our nations and our collective aspiration towards a better future for our region”. He also announced the adoption of the final statement and decisions issued by the summit.
Before the summit began, the Saudi Crown Prince chaired the eighteenth consultative meeting of the leaders of the Cooperation Council, which came eight months after the 43rd Gulf Summit in Riyadh, discussing the promotion of Gulf integration and cooperation.
A Higher Level of Relations
Kazakhstan’s President, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, affirmed that the summit has a distinctive character, given the strong relations, historical ties, shared spiritual values, and bonds of friendship with the Arab Gulf states. He elaborated in his address to the leaders that his country attaches exceptional importance to the Jeddah meeting, considering the political influence that the Gulf states enjoy, who are among the main partners of Central Asian countries.
He said, “There is no doubt that the economic capabilities of Central Asian countries, and the tremendous abilities of the Gulf states, can elevate relations and cooperation to higher levels.” The Kazakh president spoke about the importance of strengthening trade and economic relations, and activating investment cooperation, noting that current figures do not reflect the potentials available in the two regions.
A New Building Block
Sheikh Mishal Al-Sabah, the Crown Prince of Kuwait, emphasized that the first meeting of the Gulf leaders and Central Asian states represents a new building block and a significant addition in the course of relations between the two sides, reflecting the shared desire to move forward in developing and strengthening them to include broader and more comprehensive cooperation in various fields. In his address, he stated that there is “hope and desire that the meeting will contribute to strengthening and consolidating strategic partnership relations between us, through what was adopted in the Joint Ministerial Council in 2022 and the adoption of the Joint Action Plan 2023 – 2027, and we look forward to more cooperation in the political, economic, cultural and commercial fields.”