In this June 2, 2014 photo, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) foreign ministers attend a meeting in Riyadh.

Foreign ministers of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council will hold an important meeting on Tuesday to prepare for the GCC summit to be held in Doha on Dec. 9 and 10. “The ministerial meeting is, in fact, a preparatory meeting for the forthcoming 35th session of the GCC Supreme Council,” said a statement released by the GCC General Secretariat.

The foreign ministers will discuss regional issues as well as reports prepared by the General Secretariat. Key issues like Syria, Iran and Yemen will top the agenda of the meeting. “The GCC foreign ministers will also draw up a final agenda for the summit,” said a Gulf diplomat, adding that collective security, military affairs, customs union and common market will figure prominently in the agenda.

Recommendations by GCC ministerial councils and joint committees will be reviewed along with ongoing negotiations between the GCC and other global economic blocs. The topics to be discussed by the foreign ministers and later to be put up for consultations at the summit will include “the Syrian crisis, the GCC initiative on Yemen, the Middle East peace process besides other regional developments,” the diplomat said.

The GCC foreign ministers will also hold individual sessions with the Jordanian, Moroccan and Yemeni foreign ministers to discuss diplomatic matters and boost ties with these countries. The meeting will also discuss other issues such as human rights, education, disease control, environment and culture.

 
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