The UAE is hosting the 15th session of Ministers of Transport of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) here at the Emirates Palace Hotel on Wednesday.
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Public Works, Chairman of the National Transport Authority will chair the meeting which will discuss a number of issues including establishment of GCC Railways. A preparatory meeting is scheduled for tomorrow.
UAE is heading the current session which includes delegations from Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia. The GCC Secretary General Dr. Abdullatif Bin Rashid Az-Zayani will also attend the meeting.
Dr. Nasser Saif Al Mansouri, Director General of the National Transport Authority, in a statement to Emirates News Agency “WAM”, said that the current session of the meetings of GCC Ministers of Transport in Abu Dhabi will discuss a number of topics on the agenda related to road and rail transport and marine activities including linking the railways among GCC countries.
He pointed out that the meeting will also discuss feasibility study for GCC railway link to Republic of Yemen, the Memorandum of Understanding of Riyadh on the inspection and control of ships in the GCC countries, safety regulations for small vessels, which are not covered by international treaties.
Al Mansouri added that the meeting would also discuss the study prepared on the establishment of a Gulf company for navigation aid, tracking system for ships especially national ships, the study of creating of a database for transport sector in the GCC States, the study of the integration of transport modes in GCC countries, in addition to the Memorandum of Qatar on maritime piracy off the Somali coast, the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean and a number of different topics.