Manama, Nov. 13 (BNA): Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), opened the GCC pavilion at the Bahrain National Museum. The pavilion accompanies the 46th session of the GCC Supreme Council, to be chaired by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on December 3.

The opening was attended by Dr. Ramzan bin Abdulla Al Noaimi, Minister of Information; Shaikh Khalid bin Humood Al Khalifa, Capital Governor; Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, President of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA); Ahmed Khalid Al Arifi, Chief Executive of the National Communication Centre; Faisal bin Harib Al Busaidi, Ambassador of Oman to Bahrain; representatives of GCC embassies; and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the GCC Secretariat General, BACA, and the National Communication Centre, along with invited guests.

The Foreign Minister, the Secretary General, and attendees toured the pavilion, which features sections outlining the stages of GCC joint action, including the founding phase, statements by GCC leaders, affiliated organisations, shared initiatives, political and strategic cooperation, and economic, security, military, social, and legislative collaboration. It also includes statistical indicators and a photo gallery.

Dr. Al Zayani said Bahrain, its leadership, and its people are proud to host the 46th Gulf Summit, which aims to strengthen cohesion and cooperation among member states and advance shared achievements in line with the aspirations of their peoples.

He said the pavilion highlights the outcomes of a long-standing journey guided by the GCC leaders’ vision, noting that since its establishment 44 years ago, the GCC has become a stable and active regional and international organisation supporting political, economic, defence, security, and humanitarian cooperation. He pointed to major initiatives such as the GCC Common Market, electricity interconnection, the railway project, and infrastructure and transport efforts, as well as active Gulf institutions in various development domains.

The minister expressed appreciation to the GCC Secretary General and Secretariat staff, BACA, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs team for their efforts in preparing the pavilion.

Albudaiwi expressed appreciation to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and to His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, for their continued support to GCC work.

He welcomed Bahrain’s hosting of the pavilion, noting that it presents more than four decades of achievements in GCC cooperation and development under the guidance of the founding and current leaders. He also thanked Dr. Al Zayani for his support and the Bahrain National Museum for hosting the pavilion.

The Secretary General invited citizens and residents to visit the pavilion, which will be open for one month. It features more than 40 main themes and 120 sub-themes across nine display zones covering the pre-establishment phase, the founding of the GCC in 1981, joint projects, and future initiatives.

He also thanked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Bahrain National Museum teams for their support.

M.S.A, A.S, S.E