India welcomes 'fruitful discussions' with Gulf nations to resolve GCC crisis

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson on December 11 said that India was open to holding ‘fruitful’ talks with the Gulf nations for a peaceful resolution to the intra-GCC crisis and ensuring harmonious relations and stabilization of ties among all nations in the region. Responding to Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmed Nasser Al-Sabah’s media update on the progress of the issue, India’s MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said that India was ready to hold dialogue for resolving the disputes among GCC nations to strengthen their civilizational, economic, political and cultural ties. "We have also seen statements from other countries in this regard. We welcome these announcements," Srivastava said. 

Last week, Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmed Nasser Al-Sabah said at the state press conference that the country has held “fruitful discussions in recent days” to promote the Gulf-Arab reconciliation. “All parties involved in recent talks expressed their desire to find a final and lasting solution to the GCC crisis for the benefit of their people,” he said in his televised remarks at Al-Sabah TV, PTI reported. Kuwaiti foreign minister also thanked Jared Kushner, the senior adviser to US President Donald Trump for his efforts in mediating between the “Arab Quartet” countries to broker peace and closer cooperation.

Read: Iran Says US 'got The Message' On Tense Exchanges In Gulf

Read: Kuwait Election Sees Two-thirds Of Parliament Lose Seats

Reaching an 'agreement'

"All parties involved in recent talks expressed their desire to find a final and lasting solution to the GCC crisis for the benefit of their people," the Kuwaiti foreign minister was quoted as saying by PTI. In his short televised statement, Kuwait’s minister informed that Kuwait has been holding a dialogue to mend ties between the GCC nations, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt — and Qatar since the boycott of Qatar in 2017. 

According to a statement carried by the Kuwait News Agency, the GCC secretary-general Al-Hajraf said that the discussions would reflect Gulf Cooperation, strength and cohesion, and its ability to overcome obstacles. Meanwhile, last week, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister also expressed hope about reaching an agreement in ending the decades-long Saudi-led Qatar’s boycott. During Italy's annual Mediterranean dialogues, Saudi Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the kingdom's foreign minister, said: 'We've made significant progress in the last few days.’ 

Read: India, Cyprus Review Cooperation In Various Fields: MEA

Read: India, Nepal Hold Talks To Strengthen Cooperation In Power Sector

(Image Credit: PTI)