UAE Mission to ASEAN participates in third working-level meeting on GCC-ASEAN cooperation framework
The United Arab Emirates Mission to ASEAN joined the third meeting between the Gulf Cooperation Council and ASEAN in Jakarta, reviewing progress on the 2024-2028 Framework of Cooperation and discussing areas for enhanced partnership.
Framework of Cooperation review
The United Arab Emirates Mission to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations participated in the third working-level meeting between the Gulf Cooperation Council and ASEAN, held in Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, in August 2026.
The meeting brought together representatives from the GCC's six member states—Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates—and ASEAN's ten member states, which include Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Participants reviewed progress achieved under the GCC-ASEAN Framework of Cooperation (2024-2028), which was adopted at the first ASEAN-GCC Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on October 20, 2023. The Framework builds upon a previous ASEAN-GCC Two-Year Action Plan from 2010-2012 and encompasses three pillars: political-security, economic, and socio-cultural cooperation.
During the meeting, representatives discussed ways to implement the Framework and emphasised the importance of strengthening coordination and advancing practical cooperation across these areas.
Economic partnership and trade prospects
The economic dimension of the partnership has gained significant momentum. In 2023, the GCC was ASEAN's seventh largest trading partner with total trade amounting to USD 130.7 billion, while serving as the sixteenth largest source of foreign direct investment at USD 390.2 million.
Trade between the two blocs is projected to grow by an average of 30 percent to reach USD 180 billion by 2032, according to projections cited at the second ASEAN-GCC Summit. That summit, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on May 26-27, 2025, also featured the inaugural ASEAN-GCC-China Trilateral Summit, marking an expansion of the partnership framework.
Both sides are exploring a potential Free Trade Agreement, with discussions on conducting a joint feasibility study, as outlined in their Joint Declaration on Economic Cooperation.
Institutional engagement mechanisms
The meeting provided an opportunity for GCC and ASEAN representatives to exchange perspectives on recent developments, including emerging regional and global trends, and to explore potential areas for enhanced cooperation that could contribute to shared prosperity, stability and sustainable development.
The Framework of Cooperation encourages regular meetings between GCC ambassadors and ASEAN ambassadors in Jakarta, as well as between ASEAN ambassadors to Saudi Arabia and the GCC Secretariat in Riyadh, establishing structured diplomatic channels for ongoing dialogue.
UAE commitment to partnership
The UAE Mission to ASEAN reaffirmed the UAE's commitment to supporting the GCC-ASEAN partnership and advancing mutually beneficial cooperation in areas of common interest. The UAE also highlighted the importance of translating the Framework of Cooperation into concrete initiatives that address evolving priorities.
In June 2026, Mohammed Ahmed Al Qamzi presented his credentials as UAE Ambassador to ASEAN at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, demonstrating the UAE's diplomatic commitment to strengthening ties with the regional bloc.
