Lavrov says Russia, Gulf council able to promote 'mutually beneficial partnership'

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Russian foreign minister on Monday said Moscow and countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) possess all the mechanisms to promote their mutually beneficial partnership.

“Russia and the countries of the Cooperation Council have all the necessary mechanisms for the successful solution of the common tasks facing us, the promotion of mutually beneficial partnership, and its transfer to a systematic strategic basis,” Sergey Lavrov said ahead of the 6th ministerial meeting of the Russia-GCC Strategic Dialogue in Moscow.

Lavrov said Russia and GCC countries are pursuing to expand economic ties, expressing that mutual trade at the end of 2022 exceeded $11 billion despite “difficult geopolitical conditions.”

“Of course, trade with each of the countries present here is not developing evenly, but the general trends are positive. As for individual reserves that exist within the framework of bilateral relations in the trade and economic sphere, we will talk about them in more detail during today's meetings,” he added.

The Russian diplomat said the forum has been effective in the exchange of views between both parties on key regional and global issues, as well as developing economic and humanitarian cooperation.

“I expect that during the plenary session we will discuss the entire range of challenges that the Middle East is facing, including the strategically important region of the Gulf. We will touch on the topic of creating a regional system of collective security in the interests of effectively countering numerous challenges and threats,” he added.

Established in 1981, the GCC is a regional intergovernmental, political, and economic organization made up of six Gulf countries: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman.