GCC Chief Reaffirms ‘Gulf Security Indivisible’ at Joint Defense Council Session

Riyadh: GCC Secretary-General Jasem Albudaiwi reiterated that since its inception, the GCC has operated on the principle that 'the security of the Gulf is indivisible.' According to Saudi Press Agency, the security of the State of Qatar is an integral part of the collective Gulf security, Albudaiwi stated during his address at the extraordinary session of the GCC Joint Defense Council, held Thursday in the Qatari capital, Doha. He emphasized that any aggression against Qatar or any other Gulf state is an aggression against the collective GCC framework. The GCC chief noted that the meeting was convened to implement the directives of the leaders of the GCC states to hold an urgent session of the Joint Defense Council, preceded by a meeting of the Supreme Military Committee. The meetings aimed to assess the defense situation of GCC member states and identify sources of threat amid the Israeli aggression against Qatar, directing the Unified Military Command to implement necessary measures to activate joint Gulf defense mechanisms and deterrence capabilities. Albudaiwi emphasized that the attack on Qatar constituted a treacherous assault and a blatant violation of its sovereignty by Israeli occupation forces. He highlighted that the assault targeted residential areas densely populated with schools and diplomatic missions, resulting in casualties among innocent civilians. He further stated that this hostile act represents a serious and unacceptable escalation and a grave violation of international law principles. Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani chaired the Joint Defense Council session, in the presence of defense ministers from the GCC member states or their representatives.