Bahrain: strategic dialogue between GCC, Australia and Japan

A Bahraini delegation, led by Undersecretary for Regional and GCC Affairs at the Foreign Ministry Ambassador Hamad Ahmed Abdulaziz Al Amer, in the high-level meetingon Strategic Dialogue between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Australia and another with Japan, held here today at the headquarters of GCC Secretariat-General. During the meetings, the main themes of the 2012-2015 Joint Action Plans between GCC and Australia on the one hand, and Japan, on the other, focusing on cooperation in the political, economic, investment, cultural, energy, educational and agricultural fields, were approved. The recommendations will be submitted to the next ministerial meetings of the strategic dialogue between both Australia and Japan. GCC representatives exchanged views with their Australian and Japanese counterparts on regional and global issues of joint interest, with special focus on Iran's occupation of the three UAE islands, the Middle East peace process, the Syrian crisis, the situation in Yemen, Iranian nuclear programme, terrorism and piracy. Earlier, senior officials of GCC Foreign Ministries held a consultative meeting in preparation for the coming ministerial meetings with the United Kingdom, to be held in London on June 21, 2012, and another with European Union, to be hosted by Luxemburg on June 25, 2012.