Agreement to Form a Naval Force of the Gulf Cooperation Council

On Tuesday, December 9, the six member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council agreed to establish a joint defensive naval force. According to the Associated Press, these countries gathered for their annual meeting in Doha, Qatar, and also decided to form a joint 'anti-terrorism' police force. Al Jazeera reports that the purpose of forming these two forces is to 'contain the regional enemy of this council, namely Iran, and also to contain armed groups in the region.' The Associated Press also states that the 'Gulf Navy' is intended to act as a deterrent against Iran. Reports indicate that the main headquarters of the joint naval force will be in Bahrain, which currently hosts the United States Fifth Fleet. Recently, it was announced that Britain is also in the process of establishing a permanent $23 million naval base in Bahrain, which will host British cruisers and aircraft carriers. On Tuesday, the member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council also agreed to form a joint police force called the 'Gulf Cooperation Police' (GCC-POL), which the Qatari Foreign Minister described as 'similar to Interpol, but within the scope of the member countries of this council.' This police force is expected to improve cooperation among the Gulf Arab states against terrorism, as well as combat drug trafficking, money laundering, and cyber crimes. The meeting on Tuesday took place after an eight-month dispute among member countries, which arose after Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain protested against Qatar's support for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. Three weeks ago, the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in a 'reconciliation meeting' aimed at de-escalating the aforementioned dispute. At the Tuesday meeting in Doha, these countries also announced that they had reached an agreement to set aside their differences and intend to move towards greater unity among the council member states. The annual meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council coincided with a drop in Brent crude oil prices to $65 per barrel, a price that has not been seen in five years and, according to the Emir of Kuwait, has harmed the development plans of the council's countries. At the end of their meeting on Tuesday, the member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council issued a statement calling on Iran to 'respect the sovereignty of the member countries of this council.' The statement also condemned the use of weapons by the Houthi Shiite rebels in Yemen and called for the withdrawal of the rebels from various areas. The statement also expressed political support for General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the President of Egypt.