The 147th session of GCC Ministerial Council reaffirmed the commitment to the Al Ula declaration as well as matters of foreign relations.

Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani participated in the meeting of the 147th session of the Ministerial Council of the Co-operation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf in Riyadh on March 18.

The meeting, attended by the GCC foreign ministers as well as the GCC Secretary-General, discussed the security and stability of the GCC member states as well as matters concerning the Middle East and North Africa.

The ministers reaffirmed the commitment to the Al Ula declaration, which was signed in January and put an end to the three-year-long land, air, and sea blockade on Qatar.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt imposed the blockade and severed all ties to Doha in 2017.

Exchanged views on the GCC march and latest regional and int’l developments at meeting of the 147th session of the Ministerial Council of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, which was held today in Riyadh. pic.twitter.com/CJ38BQGR08

— محمد بن عبدالرحمن (@MBA_AlThani_) March 17, 2021

Onto Palestine, the council applauded a recent decision by the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas to hold elections in all Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem.

The ministers also welcomed the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decision to included occupied Palestinian territories, including Gaza and the West Bank, within the jurisdiction of the court.

Israel’s construction of settlements, all of which have been globally recognised as illegal, were condemned by the Gulf ministers. They also took aim at ongoing Israeli war crimes that are being investigated by the ICC. 

Read also: Qatar welcomes ICC ruling on Israel war crimes probe

On Yemen, the ministers voiced support for UN and US envoys attempting to halt the fighting and affirmed support for the Yemeni government. After several years in Riyadh, the government landed back in Aden in December to restarted tasks in the interim capital.

Praise was given to financial contributions by the GCC that accounted for 40% of pledges for the UN relief scheme during Yemen’s donors conference on March 1.

The meeting saw the ministers also condemn an attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura Port and Aramco facilities in Dhahran on March 7, which Qatar previously condemned. 

GCC officials expressed support for the Iraqi government and the international coalition efforts in restoring security and stability.

Read also: Qatar delivers winter aid to Syrian, Palestinian refugees in Iraq

The ministers also congratulated and praised Libya after the North African country’s parliament swore in a new unity government.

Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz al-Thani sent a cable of congratulations to Abdul Hamid al-Dabaiba for his appointment as Prime Minister of the National Unity Government of Libya.

Meanwhile, the GCC ministers also discussed and praised the efforts of health authorities across the region in handling the Covid-19 virus.

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