PM arrives in Riyadh for Asean-GCC Summit

RIYADH: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has arrived here for the inaugural Asean-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit.

The aircraft carrying the Prime Minister touched down at the King Khalid International Airport, about 35km north of here, at 8.15pm Thursday (Oct 20) local time (1.15am Friday, Oct 20, Malaysian time).

Anwar and other members of the Malaysian delegation were received by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir, ministry deputy secretary-general (Bilateral Affairs) Datuk Norman Muhamad and Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Datuk Wan Zaidi Wan Abdullah.

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Riyadh will host the summit on Friday at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, and Anwar is scheduled to deliver a speech that will highlight the current Israel-Palestine conflict.

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh of Vietnam have arrived for the summit.

The GCC is a political and economic alliance formed by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait.

Asean and GCC established relations in 1990 when the Gulf bloc expressed interest in establishing formal ties with its South-East Asian counterpart.

The two blocs held their first ministerial meeting in 2009. All individual GCC nations have also acceded to Asean’s non-aggression pact, namely the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in South-East Asia (TAC).

Malaysia is the Asean coordinator for the summit, which is aimed at optimising cooperation between the two regional organisations.

The summit is expected to deliberate on the Israel-Palestine conflict as well as find ways to end the suffering of the people of Gaza following the latest Zionist military action.

The discussion aligns with Malaysia’s firm stance and Anwar’s vocal support for Palestine following Israel’s increased oppression of the Palestinians, including the recent attacks and clashes in the Gaza Strip.

The summit is also expected to discuss the current and future direction of Asean-GCC relations in line with the South-East Asian grouping’s desire to broaden its ties with countries in West Asia, including in economic and energy cooperation.

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During his two-day working visit here, Anwar is scheduled to hold discussions with Saudi Aramco and the Public Investment Fund prior to a meeting with Malaysians living and working in Riyadh.

He is also scheduled to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Saturday (Oct 21) to discuss the Palestinian issue and bilateral relations.

Saudi Arabia is Malaysia’s largest trading partner among West Asian countries, with US$10.26bil (RM49bil) in total bilateral trade recorded between the two countries last year, an increase of 159.2% from 2021.

Among the prominent projects the kingdom has in Malaysia is the Pengerang Integrated Complex in Johor, through Saudi Aramco. – Bernama