Monitoring Desk
DUBAI: Gulf allies Saudi Arabia and the UAE have signed new bilateral military and economic partnership outside of the umbrella of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), according to an Emirati foreign ministry announcement, hours before the GCC summit in Kuwait.
According to the statement, a new committee will be formed to oversee military, political, economic, trade and cultural coordination and cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
The statement is said to be an attempt to sabotage the GCC summit in Kuwait, which has been cut short following the first day’s closed-door meetings after it was slated to last for two days.
Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman make up the six-member GCC, which has in recent days been rocked by a series of rifts between member states.
Saudi, the UAE, Bahrain, along with Egypt, cut diplomatic and transport ties with Qatar on June 4, accusing Doha of supporting “extremism” and their regional ally Iran – charges which Qatar has repeatedly denied.
