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GCC

Gulf Cooperation Council

GCC to sign EFTA trade deal
4-Jun-2009 Tax-News
GCC Secretary-General Abdulrahman bin Hamad Al Attiyah has announced that the Gulf Cooperation Council will sign a joint free trade agreement with the EFTA states, Switzerland Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein later this month. Both parties agreed the text of the agreement on April 24, 2008 and have now signalled they wish the agreement to enter into force.
EU free trade secondary to Asia pacts: Al Mansouri
27-May-2009 Gulf News
The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is concentrating on trade talks with East Asia after negotiations with the European Union stalled, Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy, said.
Brazil’s Lula urges closer Saudi economic ties
18-May-2009 AFP
Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva hailed his country’s growing relations with Saudi Arabia and the Middle East on Sunday as he pushed for more trade and investment in the region.
West accused of ‘hypocrisy’ on free trade
6-May-2009
A former Qatari minister yesterday lambasted Western “hypocrisy” and “double standards” when it came to free trade agreements (FTAs) with smaller nations. And he maintained that the GCC-US FTA was a thing of the “past”.
GCC-EU FTA hits roadblock again
6-May-2009 Gulf Weekly
Free trade talks between the GCC and the European Union have been suspended again after the two sides failed to reach an agreement on human rights and customs duties on GCC exports to Europe.
EU-GCC free trade talks to resume after being derailed in December
29-Apr-2009 Gulf News
The European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council’s Joint Council meet today at the Al Bustan Palace Hotel to put on track the Free Trade Agreement talks that were derailed by the GCC last December.
Oman urges India to sign FTA
25-Apr-2009 The Hindu
India and Oman are in the final stages of setting up a $100-million fund that will be utilised in development and infrastructure projects in both nations. To boost trade relations with Oman and other Gulf nations, Oman has urged India to sign a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
GCC mulls reopening free trade talks aith EU
12-Apr-2009 Easy Bourse
The Gulf Cooperation Council chief and Saudi and Omani ministers on Sunday discussed how to revive talks on a free trade accord with the European Union that broke down in December
UAE advises Indonesia to sign FTA with GCC
9-Apr-2009
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has proposed to Indonesia to enter into a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Indonesian Ambassador to the UAE M Wahid Supriyadi said.
Pakistan seeks UAE’s help for FTA with GCC
6-Mar-2009 Daily Times
Pakistan has sought market access from Canada and help from UAE for early completion of Free Trade Agreement with Gulf Cooperation Council.
China to seek early FTA with GCC
13-Feb-2009
Chinese President Hu Jintao said Wednesday that China will seek an early free trade agreement (FTA) with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
Govt. allows free trade between Iran and Persian Gulf countries
10-Feb-2009 Tehran Times
Iran’s cabinet gave the green light for the signing of an agreement for free trade among Iran and the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council, announced a commerce ministry official here on Sunday.
EU responds to demands with more demands
29-Jan-2009 Gulof News
The demands which stood as obstacles to signing an EU-GCC FTA are non-commercial demands, although GCC countries made a great leap in updating and modernising economic and commercial laws in the past years, thinking this would meet EU requirements in this respect.
‘FTA with Gulf region will boost bilateral trade’
20-Jan-2009 The Star
Malaysia is hopeful that negotiations for the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Malaysia can commence as soon as possible, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said.
Massive GCC trade imbalance at heart of failed FTA with EU
6-Jan-2009 Emirates Business 24/7
Gulf oil producers have accused their main economic partner the European Union (EU) of lacking interest in signing the long-sought free trade deal as it shifts interest to partners in East Europe.
Row stalled Gulf-EU talks
29-Dec-2008 Gulf News
A disagreement over human rights and democracy was behind the suspension earlier this month of trade talks between the Gulf Cooperation Council and the European Union, an Omani official said yesterday.
GCC suspends FTA talks with EU
24-Dec-2008 Khaleej Times
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on Tuesday said it had suspended talks with the European Union for a free trade agreement (FTA). The decision to halt more than two decades of hard negotiations between the two regional economic blocs to sign the world’s first region-to-region free trade agreement came a week ahead of a crucial summit by GCC leaders in Muscat.
GCC may have more FTAs in near future
22-Dec-2008 Zawya
The GCC-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signed last week comes almost a year after the six gulf nations announced a common market to remove trade barriers within themselves and to deal with the world as one entity. Economists predict that the agreement will serve as a precursor to more FTAs between Gulf and prominent Asian economies.
FTA benefits food, telco export
17-Dec-2008 Straits Times
Singapore-based exporters of food and telecommunications equipment look set to be among the major beneficiaries of the new free trade agreement signed with six Gulf states on Monday.
Qatar warns Gulf may suspend talks on EU trade pact
16-Dec-2008 AFP
Qatar warned on Monday that the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council would suspend talks on a free trade deal with the European Union if an impasse in the 20-year-old negotiations continues.