Kuala Lumpur: Growing investment and ties between Southeast Asia's 10-member bloc and the oil-rich Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries reflect increasing confidence in the long-term prospects of the partnership between both groupings, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today. In his opening remarks, the Prime Minister stated that the ASEAN-GCC Framework of Cooperation 2024-2028, adopted at the inaugural Summit in 2023, provides a blueprint to deepen collaboration across all three pillars of cooperation and that the momentum is encouraging.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the GCC was ASEAN's seventh largest trading partner in 2023, with total trade reaching US$130.7 billion. The growing investment highlights increasing confidence in the long-term prospects of the partnership. Anwar believes that the ASEAN-GCC partnership is crucial as the world faces an increasingly complex global landscape marked by economic uncertainty and geopolitical challenges.
A stronger ASEAN-GCC relationship will be key to enhancing interregional collaboration, building resilience, and securing sustainable prosperity for the peoples. The Prime Minister emphasized the importance of today's deliberations in ensuring that the partnership remains dynamic, responsive, and impactful. He urged the summit attendees to use the opportunity to reaffirm their collective ambition and translate their shared vision into concrete cooperation.
Among the ASEAN leaders at the events are the Sultan of Brunei, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah; Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto; Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet; Laos' Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone; Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh; Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.; Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong; and Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra. Also present at the summit is Timor-Leste's Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao as Observer, and ASEAN secretary-general Dr Kao Kim Hourn.
GCC delegates at the summit include the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Bahrain's Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman Hamad Al Khalifa, and Kuwaiti Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. Oman's Deputy Prime Minister Sayyid Asaad bin Tarik al Said, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Farhan Al Saud, and UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi are also in attendance.