Interior Minister Chairs 41St Meeting Of GCC Ministers Of Interior

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) QNA

Doha, Qatar: Minister of Interior and Commander of the Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya), HE sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, chaired the 41st meeting of Their Highnesses and Excellencies, the GCC Ministers of Interior, which was held in Doha, on Wednesday.

In his opening remarks, HE the Minister of Interior welcomed Their Highnesses and Excellencies, the GCC Ministers of Interior and conveyed to them the greetings of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and His Highness's wishes for the success of the meeting.

His Excellency expressed his utmost thanks and appreciation to Their Highnesses and Excellencies, the Ministers of Interior, hailing the cooperation they have been showing throughout his presidency of this session, which underscored the spirit of the Gulf action and the shared responsibility they shoulder, along with their aspiration to unity to achieve the security and stability for the GCC states and peoples.

He lauded the appreciated and unwavering efforts of Their Excellencies, the Undersecretaries of the Ministries of Interior in their preparatory meeting for the 41st ministerial meeting.

For their part, Their Highnesses and Excellencies, the Ministers of Interior participating in the meeting expressed their utmost thanks and appreciation to the State of Qatar, its leadership, government, and people, for the warm reception, generous hospitality, and excellent organization of this meeting, which demonstrates the spirit of security cooperation and joint coordination among the GCC member states.

Addressing the session, Minister of Interior of the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud highlighted that the security apparatuses in the GCC states encounter myriad challenges such as emerging crimes, the evolution of narcotics trafficking methods, organized crimes, and arms smuggling, all of which precipitate stepping up joint efforts and capacity building to bolster the Gulf security cooperation in surmounting security challenges to meet the aspirations of leaders and peoples to achieve further accomplishments.

For his part, HE Minister of Interior of the sisterly Kingdom of Bahrain, Lt Gen. Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, pointed out that many lessons can be elicited from the incidents that have unfolded in the Middle east during the recent period, including the importance of reviewing the security challenges and anticipated actions, and accordingly take further action to prevent the occurrence of unanticipated surprises, expressing his hope to achieve further success in the journey of the joint Gulf action.

First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, and Minister of Interior of the sisterly State of Kuwait, HE Sheikh Fahad Yusuf Saud Al-Sabah, said the meeting comes in the wake of unprecedented regional and global developments that prompt coordinating multiple efforts, enhancing collective capabilities, combating terrorism, extremism, organized crime and narcotics to boost the security of the region in general.

HE Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, affirmed that the meeting is complementary to the ongoing fraternal meetings between the GCC Ministers of Interior, expressing his sincerest thanks and appreciation for the extraordinary efforts made by the State of Qatar to prepare and convene this meeting, which unequivocally reflects the spirit of collaboration, in pursuit of enhancing the joint security action among the GCC states.

His Excellency added that since the inception of the GCC system in 1981, Their Majesties and Highnesses have demonstrated an insightful vision and a strategic prudence in acknowledging the significance of fostering the joint security action as a core pillar to ensure security and stability of the region. He affirmed that since the inception of GCC, they have realized that the security challenges facing the region have no borders or identity, and as long as they mount, underlining that the joint cooperation among the GCC states represents the ideal way to curb these risks and challenges to ensure a secure and prosperous future for their peoples.

His Excellency underlined that this trajectory has resulted in superb and diligent efforts, as well as joint Gulf security achievements throughout the past four decades, positioning the GCC states as regional and global role model in the joint security action, and a joint Gulf message for the entire world that the Gulf security is non-negotiable, and the security of the Gulf states is not the responsibility of a single nation, but rather a collective duty and a shared destiny.

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