What is the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)?

About Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)

• It is a political and economic alliance of six countries in the Arabian Peninsula: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
• The GCC was established in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in May 1981.
• Objective: To promote economic, security, cultural, and social cooperation between the six states and hold a summit every year to discuss cooperation and regional affairs.
• Together, the GCC countries possess almost half of the world’s oil reserves.
• Organizational structure:
  • The Supreme Council:
    • It is the highest authority of the organization, which meets on an annual basis and consists of GCC heads of state. 
    • Decisions of the Supreme Council are adopted by unanimous approval.
    • Its presidency rotates periodically among the member states in alphabetical order.
  • The Ministerial Council: 
    • It is composed of the foreign ministers of all the Member States or other ministers deputizing for them.
    • It meets every three months to implement the decisions of the Supreme Council and to propose new policy.
  • The Secretariat General: 
    • It is the administrative arm of the alliance, which monitors policy implementation and arranges meetings.
    • Its headquarters is in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
• India and GCC:
  • GCC is India’s largest regional-bloc trading partner.
  • Trade with the GCC comprised 15.8% of India’s total trade in FY2022–23.
  • The UAE has consistently been India’s principal trading partner within the Gulf and is India’s third-largest trading partner overall.
  • According to the latest figures, there are approximately 8.9 million Indian expats residing in GCC countries, which is approximately 66% of non-resident Indians.

Q1: What is the Arab League?

The Arab League, also called the League of Arab States (LAS), is a regional organization of Arab states in the Middle East and parts of Africa. It was formed in Cairo on March 22, 1945. It was chartered in response to concerns about postwar colonial divisions of territory as well as strong opposition to the emergence of a Jewish state on Palestinian territory. Currently, it has 22 members. The founding member states of the league are Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen.

Source: Iran Missile Threat Terrifies Pro-U.S. Arabs; U.S. In Talks With GCC Countries Over 'Missile Shield'