The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is pursuing shared water, electricity and logistics infrastructure intended to improve member economies’ efficiency and crisis readiness, Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi said Oct. 18.
Speaking at a meeting of GCC foreign ministers in Manama, Bahrain, Albudaiwi identified water interconnection, expanded electricity interconnection capacity, stronger logistics and strategic storage as priorities. The work follows directions from GCC leaders at their April 28 meeting in Jeddah, the council’s Secretariat said.
The projects are intended to benefit the economies and people of the six member states: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The Secretariat’s April account described increased cooperation in aviation and logistics amid supply chain disruptions. It did not present the infrastructure projects as completed.
The plan builds on a longstanding aim of the bloc. Its charter, signed in 1981, calls for coordination and integration among members. The current proposals concern shared systems that cross national borders, but the Secretariat’s Oct. 18 statement gave no project budgets or completion dates.
The infrastructure agenda comes alongside separate appeals for regional cooperation. UAE Vice President and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who rules Dubai, made an appeal for closer Gulf cooperation on Oct. 19. He said cooperation did not amount to a proposal for political union.
On Oct. 18, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in Abu Dhabi. The Emirates News Agency said they discussed bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on regional developments, with efforts to strengthen security and stability among their goals.
Albudaiwi said ministerial and technical committees are tracking the steps and timelines for carrying out the GCC projects. The Secretariat’s Oct. 18 statement set no public deadline for completing them.
