The Sultanate, represented by the Ministry of Defence, hosted the 16th Joint Defence Council of the GCC Defence Ministers under the auspices of Sayyid Badr bin Saud al Busaidy, Minister Responsible for Defence Affairs, at Al Bustan Palace Hotel, on Wednesday.
The meeting was held in the presence of Mohammed Ahmad al Bawardi al Falasi, UAE Minister of State for Defence Affairs, Lieutenant General Abdullah bin Hassan al Nuaimi, Bahrain’s Minister of Defence Affairs, Mohammed bin Abdullah al Ayash, Saudi Arabia’s Assistant Minister of Defence, Dr Khalid bin Mohammed al Attiyah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs in the State of Qatar, Anas Khalid Al Saleh, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs in the State of Kuwait, and Dr Abdullatif bin Rashid al Zayani, GCC Secretary-General.

Sayyid Badr bin Saud al Busaidy, who chaired the meeting, delivered a speech welcoming their excellencies the heads of delegations and representatives of the GCC ministers of defence. He commended the achievements that took place in the field of military cooperation between the GCC states in line with the directives of the GCC leaders.
Sayyid Badr explained that the meeting is aimed to review the achievements and results of the GCC military action and to move on with the joint work. He said that the meeting would discuss several important topics including the recommendations made by the GCC Supreme Military Committee of the Chiefs of Staff. The meeting would discuss these recommendations and take suitable decisions to enhance the GCC cooperation march and achieve the aspirations of the peoples of the GCC.

At the end of his speech, Sayyid Badr underscored the need to continue the work aimed at upgrading the capacity of the armed forces in the GCC states as well as to overcome the challenges in achieving the desired goals.
Sayyid Badr thanked the GCC ministers and their delegations for their constructive discussions which resulted in a number of decisions and recommendations aiming to enhance the security and stability of GCC countries.