The United Arab Emirates says it has formed a new “joint cooperation committee” with Saudi Arabia to partner on economic and military issues, separate from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Saudi Arabia did not immediately report on the new partnership. It wasn’t immediately clear how the announcement could affect the six-member GCC meeting, which is expected to focus on the Qatar issue. The Emirati ministry said the new “committee is assigned to cooperate and coordinate between the UAE and Saudi Arabia in all military, political, economic, trade and cultural fields, as well as others, in the interest of the two countries.”The UAE and Saudi Arabia have cultivated even-closer ties in recent years. Abu Dhabi’s powerful crown prince, Mohammad bin Zayed Al Nayhan, also is believed to have a closer relationship with Saudi Arabia’s young Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Source: Pakistan Today December 05, 2017 08:26 UTC