JAKARTA, 20 November 2024 – The First Meeting between the Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN (CPR) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Ambassadors’ Council in Jakarta was held on 20 November 2024 at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat.
The meeting reviewed the status of implementation of the ASEAN-GCC Framework of Cooperation (FOC) 2024-2028 and explored new initiatives aimed at enhancing collaboration between ASEAN and the GCC for mutual benefit. Both sides also shared views on developments in their respective regions.
ASEAN encouraged the GCC’s support towards the implementation of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, and cooperation in preventing and countering terrorism and violent extremism, as well as transnational crime and cybercrime.
Both sides acknowledged the potential benefit of forging economic ties and agreed to explore cooperation in the areas of trade and investment, including a potential region-to-region free trade agreement. The Meeting also discussed other areas of cooperation, with emphasis on digital transformation and innovation; agriculture and food security; infrastructure; halal industry: renewable energy; water security; blue economy; logistics; Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs); finance and banking, including Islamic finance and banking; and tourism. Both sides were also committed to fostering private sector engagement by linking the Federation of GCC Chambers with the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) to explore trade and investment opportunities.
On the socio-cultural front, the meeting encouraged cooperation in the areas of cultural heritage preservation; safe migration; health; culture and information, including art exhibition; climate change; education; and people-to-people exchanges. Both sides also underlined the need to step up efforts to harness people-to-people contacts through exchange programmes involving youth, students, media and artists as well as scholarship programmes. ASEAN called for GCC’s support towards the works of ASEAN centres of excellence, and encouraged GCC’s collaboration in the implementation of the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025 and the Initiative for ASEAN Integration Work Plan IV 2021-2025.
The meeting marked a significant step forward in strengthening the ASEAN-GCC relationship, with a shared vision for cooperation that would benefit both regions.
The Meeting was co-chaired by Permanent Representative of Myanmar to ASEAN, Aung Myo Myint, and Charge d’Affaires a.i. of the Embassy of Qatar in Jakarta, Saad Mohammed I.M. Al-Emadi. The Meeting was attended by members of the CPR or their representatives, members of GCC Ambassadors’ Council in Jakarta or their representatives as well as representatives from the ASEAN Secretariat. Timor-Leste attended as Observer.
