Manama, November 02, 2026 : Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi said member states have shown their ability to manage crises, maintain economic resilience and sustain development despite mounting security and economic challenges in the region.
Speaking during a session on the sidelines of the fourth Gulf Gateway Forum in Bahrain on Sunday, Albudaiwi said Iranian attacks on GCC states had created unprecedented challenges, with repercussions across the energy, transport, logistics and supply chain sectors.
He noted that GCC countries had responded through close coordination, stronger institutional preparedness and efforts to maintain economic activity and essential services.
Albudaiwi stressed that these developments had reinforced the importance of Gulf integration, describing it as a strategic necessity for protecting national achievements and strengthening the region's collective ability to respond to crises.
He also highlighted the directives issued by GCC leaders during their 19th Consultative Meeting in Jeddah last April, which called for accelerating strategic integration projects, developing interconnected transport and logistics networks, improving links across the energy and water sectors, and deepening defence and security cooperation.
Albudaiwi said these efforts were essential to strengthening regional preparedness and protecting the GCC states' strategic interests against future challenges.
Addressing maritime security, he described the Strait of Hormuz as a vital passage for the global economy, stressing that ensuring its security and the safety of navigation through it was a shared international responsibility, given its importance to energy supplies, international trade and global market stability.
He warned that any threat to freedom of navigation through the waterway could have consequences extending beyond the region and affecting the global economy.
The GCC Secretary-General also called on the international community to ensure Iran implements United Nations Security Council Resolution 2817 of 2026, which underscored the importance of freedom of maritime navigation, protecting international waterways and preventing their use as tools of pressure or threats that could undermine global economic stability.
Albudaiwi concluded by reaffirming that GCC states remain committed to their development visions and expanding international partnerships despite the challenges, stressing that security, stability and economic growth are closely interconnected.
Source: QNA
