Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

Foreign Ministers of Gulf Cooperation Council Condemn Iranian Interference | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
Select Page
Media ID: 55358600
Caption:

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir, left, meets United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, right, at the United Nations headquarters on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015. (AP Photo/Bryan R. Smith)


New York–Foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council called on Iran to abide by the principles of good neighborliness and respect Arab States’ sovereignty.

The ministers strongly rejected Iran’s continuous interference in other countries’ internal affairs and its attempt to stir sectarian divisions among its own people.

Saudi Foreign Affairs Minister Adel Al-Jubeir headed on Sunday the 140th session of the Ministerial Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council, which was held at the headquarters of the Kingdom’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, with the participation of GCC foreign affairs ministers.

The session was also attended by the secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Dr. Abdulatif Al-Zayani.

The foreign ministers reviewed political developments at the regional and international levels, and stressed in a statement issued at the end of the session the importance of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and the National Transformation Program.

The ministers said Saudi Arabia’s Vision would contribute to supporting Arab states’ common efforts to achieve sustainable development goals.

The Ministerial Council strongly condemned Iran’s attempts to politicize Hajj and exploit it for political goals.

The statement added that Arab foreign ministers expressed their deep concern over the U.S. Congress’ adoption of the “Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act”, which contradicts the established principles of international law, especially the equality of states in terms of sovereignty as stipulated by the United Nations Charter.

The Ministerial Council stressed the firm position of GCC states in rejecting all forms of terrorism and extremism, and called for concerted efforts to combat terrorism financing.

The Council reiterated GCC countries’ keenness on restoring Syria’s unity, stability and territorial sovereignty and vowed to exert more efforts to achieve unity in Yemen and restore the country’s sovereignty and independence through the implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 2216.