- Negotiations
The Gulf Cooperation Council (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, with Yemen hoping to join by 2016) is dealing head-on with bilateral free trade agreements at various levels. On the one hand, it has gone through a lot of tension as its member countries have been drawn into individual bilateral treaties with foreign powers like the United States, including with a major row between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain when Bahrain signed with Washington. On the other hand, it has been working as a group to establish FTAs with others, including Australia, China, Mercosur, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Turkey, New Zealand, India, Iran, ASEAN and the European Union. It signed an FTA with Syria in 2005, and more recently with Singapore (2008) and EFTA (2009).
last update: May 2012
photo: US Department of State/Wikimedia Commons
12-Aug-2006
The GCC and China seem more determined than ever to pursue the goal of attaining a free trade agreement (FTA) in the not-too-distant future.
10-Aug-2006
China is optimistic of concluding the first part of a free trade agreement (FTA) with the six-nation GCC block by the end of this year, but the second part may take more time, officials said yesterday.
22-May-2006
Gulf News
The GCC states and New Zealand are expected to sign a free trade agreement next year.
18-May-2006
Khaleej Times
Free Trade Agreement (FTA) talks between the GCC and Turkey will start this year, according to a senior Turkish government official.
16-Feb-2006
MENAFN
The Jordanian minister of Industry and Trade said that his country and members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have made great advancement in their negotiations for the signing of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
12-Feb-2006
Gulf News
Trade and investment. Not words which always set the pulse racing, the heart pounding.
7-Feb-2006
Japan wants to open free trade agreement (FTA) talks with the Gulf Cooperation Council, China, India, Australia and South Africa, a top-selling business daily here reported Sunday.
6-Feb-2006
Bahrein Tribune
The GCC-India free trade agreement (FTA) will open over a billion consumers’ market for the Gulf countries.
9-Jan-2006
Regional economic diversification received a boost when the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and India - which signed a bilateral framework agreement for economic cooperation in August 2004 - announced that final negotiations for a free-trade agreement (FTA) would start this month, to thrash out niggling issues like rules of origin and differential tariffs.
19-Dec-2005
The Abu Dhabi Summit, which kicked-off yesterday evening, will come up to the expectations of 40 million Gulf nationals as it is likely to incorporate a road map for greater economic integration of the oil rich region.