Today's Edition
MANAMA (WAM)
The Ministerial Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) strongly condemned the Iranian drone and ballistic missile attacks on the Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Kuwait and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, describing them as a blatant aggression against the sovereignty of states, the security of their peoples and the safety of their territories, as well as a flagrant violation of international law, the Charter of the United Nations and the principles of good neighbourliness.
In a statement issued following a meeting held on Wednesday in Manama, the capital of Bahrain, the Council said that while following these developments with the utmost concern and condemnation, it affirms on behalf of the GCC states that such hostile acts do not serve understanding or rapprochement.
Rather, they distance peoples from one another, undermine trust, sow discord and close the doors of dialogue that GCC states have consistently advocated. The Council stressed that aggression does not build relations and intimidation does not create stability.
It expressed its full solidarity and firm support for the Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Kuwait and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, affirming that the security of GCC states is indivisible and that any attack against one member state is an attack against them all.
The Council reassured citizens and residents of GCC states that the joint defence capabilities and air defence systems are confronting these attacks with a high degree of efficiency and readiness.
It added that the leaders of the GCC states remain committed to safeguarding the region’s security and stability, and that such attacks will only strengthen the unity, determination and resolve of GCC peoples to confront them.
The Council reaffirmed the legitimate right of GCC states to defend themselves individually and collectively and to respond to this aggression through all lawful means, in accordance with Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, which guarantees the inherent right of self-defence in the event of an armed attack.
It held Iran fully responsible for these acts and their serious repercussions on regional security, international navigation and energy supplies, and called for their immediate cessation and a complete end to any targeting of GCC states, their interests and their citizens.
The Council also called on the United Nations Security Council and the international community to assume their responsibilities by condemning this aggression and holding its perpetrators accountable, in a manner that ensures respect for state sovereignty and preserves regional and international peace and security.
The Council reiterated the GCC states’ commitment to peace, good neighbourliness and diplomatic solutions as the preferred means of resolving disputes. It posed what it described as a fundamental question to the aggressor: How can future relations be built amid the continuation of such attacks and insistence on pursuing them?
It added that persisting in a path of aggression would only lead to further isolation, while the door to understanding remains open to those who choose the language of wisdom and good neighbourliness.
