- During U.S. Secretary of State visit to Kuwait,he has called for a resolution to the ongoing dispute between Qatar and four other Arab nations.He said the dispute has affected the Gulf Cooperation Council(GCC) which is obstructing the efforts to combat regional threats posed by Iran,Islamic State and other terrorist groups.
- In June 2017,Saudi Arabia,Bahrain,United Arab Emirates,Egypt had imposed economic blockade on Qatar.These countries has repeatedly criticized Qatar for (a)funding and hosting the Muslim Brotherhood.It is a nearly 100-year-old Islamist group based in Egypt and (b)The rift is also driven by the belief that Qatar is too closely aligned with Iran.
- The Saudi-led group had issued a list of 13 demands and asked Qatar to comply with them to end the blockade.However,Qatar rejected the accusations and turned down the list,resulting in a standoff and the worst crisis within the alliance.
- The Gulf Cooperation Council is a regional political and economic alliance of six Gulf States.It consists of (a)Bahrain (b)Kuwait (c)Oman (d)Qatar (d)Saudi Arabia and the (e)United Arab Emirates as members.It is headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
- GCC aims to promote economic,security,cultural and social cooperation between the six states and holds a summit every year to discuss cooperation and regional affairs.
