Muscat – His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik will travel to Bahrain on Wednesday to participate in the 46th Session of the GCC Supreme Council. The Diwan of Royal Court said His Majesty the Sultan will attend the summit in Manama on December 3, following an invitation from King Hamad bin Isa al Khalifa.

His Majesty’s participation reflects Oman’s commitment to strengthening the GCC’s collective work and supporting deeper cooperation among member states amid regional and international developments.

The summit will review progress in political, economic and security cooperation, and provide a platform for leaders to exchange views on issues affecting regional stability. Discussions are expected to focus on unified Gulf positions on emerging challenges and ways to reinforce joint efforts to promote stability and development.

GCC Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed al Budaiwi reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to advancing cooperation, expressing hope that the Bahrain meeting will produce decisions that further strengthen integration. He said the broad agenda highlights the GCC’s growing role at the international level.

The Manama summit builds on momentum from the 45th GCC Summit in Kuwait in 2024, where leaders agreed to expand clean energy adoption, increase sovereign wealth fund investments in technology and green transition, enhance economic integration, and support joint initiatives in energy and food security and climate action.

Recent economic indicators show continued resilience across the bloc. Real GDP grew by 1.9% in 2024, supported by non-oil activity. Growth is projected at 2.8% in 2025 and 4.3% by 2027, driven by higher investment in tourism, manufacturing, renewable energy and technology. Foreign direct investment inflows reached US$523.4bn in 2023, while intra-GCC investment rose from US$88.2bn in 2015 to US$130.3bn in 2023. Government revenues reached US$670.2bn in 2024, and regional financial markets saw market capitalisation rise to US$4.2tn.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Hashel al Maskari, Head of the GCC and Regional Neighbourhood Department at Oman’s Foreign Ministry, said Oman remains committed to advancing Gulf cooperation under His Majesty’s leadership. He noted that Oman’s participation in GCC summits reflects its belief in strengthening integration across political, economic, social and development fields. He added that Oman Vision 2040 aligns with GCC development strategies, placing citizen welfare, quality of life and economic diversification at the centre of joint policy efforts.

The summit is also expected to review progress on key regional projects, including the GCC Railway, which is anticipated to be signed during the meeting. Leaders will also discuss the unified GCC tourist visa – known as the ‘GCC Schengen’- which will allow travellers to enter all member states with a single visa once technical and legal procedures are completed. Cooperation in cybersecurity, including unified policies and enhanced information-sharing, will also be examined, along with expanding civil aviation connectivity through the GCC Civil Aviation Organisation.