ARAB and Southeast Asian leaders condemned the attacks and called for access for civilians to be given access to humanitarian aid and relief supplies.
The first-ever meeting of Gulf and ASEAN the leaders of the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN), met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Friday, the 20th of October 2023.
In his opening speech, Saudi Prime Minister and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said that innocent civilians are paying the price of the war between Israel and Hamas.
Gulf and Southeast Asian leaders also called for civilians to be given unrestricted access to humanitarian aid and relief supplies such as fuel, food, medicine, electricity, and water.
The six members of the GCC include Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates while the 10-member states of ASEAN consist of Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
GCC member states have invested around $14 billion in the ASEAN region, with 75% of the share coming from the UAE investors.
Gulf and Southeast Asian leaders discussed bilateral and geo-political developments, including security, economic progress, and socio-cultural collaboration.
The two blocs established relations in 1990 but this is the first time that GCC and ASEAN leaders held their first-ever summit in Saudi Arabia.
