Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), emphasized the shared commitment of GCC country leaders to fortify economic collaboration with the Republic of Turkey. This commitment is founded on the deep-rooted fraternal relations between the two parties, as conveyed in a press release from the GCC General Secretariat.

Albudaiwi highlighted that the GCC Ministerial Council, in its 155th session in March this year, revived the strategic dialogue with Turkey. They also endorsed the Joint Action Plan for the years 2023 to 2027, according to reports from the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

These remarks were made by Albudaiwi during his participation in the GCC-Turkish Economic Forum held in Istanbul, Turkey, from November 11 to 13. The forum convened high-ranking officials and business leaders from both sides.

He stressed the forum's significance in fostering a shared understanding to address economic challenges and global stability, promoting opportunities, and collectively tackling present challenges through cooperation, innovation, and a concerted effort to surmount obstacles across various sectors and industries.

Albudaiwi also underscored the forum's objective to realize sustainable economic growth. In this regard, trade between GCC countries and Turkey reached $22 billion in 2021.

Additionally, he highlighted the forum's focus on leveraging significant investment opportunities and potentials. The event is designed to target multiple areas, encompassing trade, investment, industry, logistics services, infrastructure, agriculture, food, and sports. It involves the participation of senior officials, decision-makers, and business figures from both the GCC countries and the Republic of Turkey, as per the press release.