Central Asia–Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Samarkand postponed

The Central Asia–Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit, initially scheduled to be held on May 5 in Samarkand, has been postponed indefinitely. This was confirmed to QALAMPIR.UZ by Ahror Burkhanov, the press secretary of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan.

According to the official, the summit was postponed by mutual agreement of all participating sides, and the new date will be determined following further consultations.

On April 16, during the third meeting of the foreign ministers under the Central Asia–GCC strategic dialogue, Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov had announced that the summit would take place in Samarkand on May 5.

For reference, the first Central Asia–GCC summit was held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in July 2023. Chaired by Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, the event brought together the heads of state of all five Central Asian nations—Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan—as well as top leaders from the Gulf countries, including the Emir of Qatar, the Prime Minister of the UAE, and senior officials from Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, and the GCC Secretariat.