President Prabowo Subianto attends the 2nd ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center (KLCC), Malaysia, Tuesday (5/27). (Photo by: BPMI of Presidential Secretariat)
President Prabowo Subianto, Tuesday (5/27), attended the 2nd ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center (KLCC), Malaysia. This is the second meeting between the Southeast Asian countries and Gulf countries after the first meeting in 2023 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia under the Indonesia’s chairmanship of ASEAN.
In his opening remarks as the Chair of the ASEAN-GCC Summit, Malaysian Prime Minister (PM) Anwar Ibrahim expressed his gratitude for the presence of ASEAN and GCC leaders. In particular, he welcomed His Highness the Crown Prince-cum-Prime Minister of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al Khalid Al Sarra who also served as co-chair of this meeting.
“This summit is rooted from the foundation that has been built since the inaugural summit in Riyadh in 2023. The presence of the leaders today reflects a shared commitment to strengthening the strong ties,” said PM Anwar.
He emphasized that the theme of this year’s ASEAN chairmanship, namely inclusivity and sustainability, is in line with the direction of ASEAN-GCC cooperation outlined in the 2024-2028 ASEAN-GCC cooperation framework. Furthermore, the Malaysian PM underlined the importance of economic relations between the two regions.
“The GCC is the ASEAN’s seventh largest trading partner in 2023, with the transaction value reaching US$130.7 billion. The increase in the investment reflects the trust in the GCC and ASEAN. As I said last night, ASEAN, Alhamdulilah (thank God), is the most peaceful region and its economy is very dynamic,” he added.
According to him, the GCC has undergone a major transformation into a promising modern economic power with advances in technology. Therefore, PM Anwar believes that the ASEAN-GCC partnership will play a key role in encouraging collaboration among the regions, strengthening resilience, and ensuring sustainable prosperity.
“I hope that this meeting will promote a meaningful exchange of views and pave the way for real initiatives in our growing and sustainable partnership,” said PM Anwar.
Closing his remarks, the Malaysian PM felt honored that the Summit successfully brought together the ASEAN and GCC leaders. He also believes that this meeting will take place in a spirit of cooperation based on trust and friendship.
“I hereby declare the 2nd ASEAN-GCC Summit officially begins,” said PM Anwar. (Bureau of Press, Media, and Information (BPMI) of Presidential Secretariat) (JAS/TM)
