Speech of Sayyid Asaad, at the GCC-ASEAN, and the ASEAN-China Summit

The following is the full text of the speech delivered by His Highness Sayyid Asaad bin Tarik Al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for International Relations and Cooperation Affairs and Special Representative of His Majesty the Sultan, at the GCC-ASEAN, and the ASEAN-China Summits, held in Kuala Lumpur in the presence of the Leaders and Representatives of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) States, and Li Qiang, Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China:

“It is an honour for me to participate today in this summit representing His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, Sultan of Oman.

“I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to the Government of Malaysia for the warm welcome and excellent preparation and organization of this important summit bringing together the countries of the Gulf region, ASEAN, and China.

“Our relations are historical, based on shared values ​​and interests, cooperation, and mutual respect. This has been reflected in the ancient Silk Road and the Belt and Road Initiative.

“Today, we are writing a new chapter in the friendship between our countries.

“Together, we possess tremendous potential to effect positive change.

“Our countries have a population of more than 2 billion, with a combined GDP of 24 trillion US Dollars. Together, our countries are among the world's fastest-growing markets.

“The energy resources of this group, its workforce, and the goals we seek to achieve in various transformation areas provide significant investment opportunities in solar, wind, and green hydrogen. These assets enable us to meet our future energy needs and drive sustainable development in our countries, which is what we aspire to.

“Strengthening partnerships in the fields of transportation, logistics, and financial technology will enrich trade, investment, and tourism opportunities, enhance service efficiency and cross-cultural understanding, and support small and medium-sized enterprises, knowledge exchange, and private sector partnerships between our countries. This will accelerate the pace of innovation and create job opportunities, enabling our peoples to take the lead in a sustainable future of prosperity and growth.

“We must not fail to emphasise that the Sultanate of Oman strongly supports the expansion and liberalisation of trade between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and China.

“The Sultanate of Oman is optimistic about the future of the Middle East, and we cannot fail to express our appreciation to our partners in the ASEAN region and China for their constructive role in this regard.

“Lasting regional peace will only be achieved if Israel halts its policy of genocide against the Palestinians. The international community and all countries represented at this summit must take all political, diplomatic, and economic steps to end Israeli violence and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

“The vision of the Sultanate of Oman, and the vast majority of countries worldwide, is to support a just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution, which requires the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the occupied Palestinian territories and the full recognition of the State of Palestine as a full member of the United Nations.

“The Sultanate of Oman, as a maritime nation and a friend to all, is always open to all initiatives aimed at strengthening partnerships between the Gulf region and the ASEAN and China group. We always look forward to welcoming our friends and partners and working with them in a spirit of cooperation, progress, and constructiveness.”

This is an unofficial English version of an Arabic report. To view the official Arabic text, click here.