Bahrain Mirror: Minister for Shura Council and House of Representatives Affairs of Bahrain, Ghanim Al-Buainain, said that the Gulf Union file will be ready at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders' summit to be hosted by Bahrain next month. He confirmed that "The Union might be established without Oman", adding that "Muscat's position from the Union is known and respected, but we must not stand at this point. There could be a union, and the GCC would be there for those who wish to be part of it."

Al-Buainain added in an interview published in the London-based "al-Hayat" newspaper (Saturday November 26, 2016), that "If the Gulf Union was established, it would be much more advanced than the GCC; meaning that the countries that wish to join it with political, economic, and other steps would be in an advanced state." He also indicated that "those who wish to remain in the GCC can. Oman is appreciated, and its wisdom is indispensable, yet we cannot stop at this level. I think that there would always be solutions that would lead to forming the Union."

Al-Buainain confirmed, "As a Bahraini official responsible for the committee of Gulf Summits' decisions implementations, I believe that there is a good approach by the Member States for this project. In those meetings we always give the heads of participating delegations to update the data and information concerning his country's implementation of decisions agreed upon."

Regarding the Gulf letter account the joint security maneuver exercise witnessed in Bahrain this month in the presence of officials from the Gulf States, he said, "Our main concern of this exercise is the Iranian party, because in the Gulf countries we identified who our current enemy is, and it is Iran. We don't create enemies, but their stances and interferences in Bahraini affairs and obvious, and the joint Gulf exercise is an end and a beginning for something new."

Moreover, he stressed that the security situation in Bahrain "is stable (...) especially after easing the tension of some who were tricked by Iranian agents. We praise the level of togetherness at the GCC in favor of Bahrain's security."

Arabic Version