The United Arab Emirates said on Tuesday that it has formed a new military and trade partnership with Saudi Arabia, The Guardian reported. The announcement came as the Gulf Cooperation Council met in Kuwait for its annual summit.
This new organisation may be an alternative to the council, the 36-year-old bloc formed by the six Gulf nations, that has been hamstrung by a strife between Qatar and other member nations such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain. These nations have accused Qatar of supporting “terrorism”, a charge that Qatar denies.
The new organisation, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “will ensure coordination between the two countries “in all military, political, economic, trade and cultural fields, as well as others, in the interest of the two countries”.
Riyadh has not confirmed the development, Al Jazeera reported.
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