The Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) was convening on Tuesday for a consultative summit in the port city of Jeddah, Saudi state media reported, amid regional challenges stemming from the war in Iran.
Saudi Press Agency reported the arrivals of Kuwait's Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al Sabah, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim and Bahrain's King Hamad in Jeddah. It added that they were greeted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Kuwait's state news agency Kuna described the meeting as an "exceptional summit" but no further details were provided.
The summit comes after Gulf countries were targeted by Iran in retaliatory strikes after the US and Israel began attacking the Islamic Republic on February 28. Iran targeted energy and civilian infrastructure in the Gulf.
On Monday, Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to President Sheikh Mohamed, has highlighted the need to restore “Gulf unity and solidarity”, which he said was “not at the level required by the challenges and events of today”.
“We cannot allow anyone outside the Gulf region to dictate our security priorities. These missiles will not be aimed at them tomorrow – they will be aimed at us,” Dr Gargash told the Gulf Creators event in Dubai.
The GCC is a political and economic alliance of six Arab states in the region, created to co-ordinate policies and strengthen regional stability.
It was established in 1981 amid security concerns following the Iranian revolution and the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq War. Its members are the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.
