The Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) on Tuesday welcomed the proposals made by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the opening ceremony of the PGCC's annual summit on Monday.
The Supreme Council of the PGCC said in a presidential statement that the bloc of six Persian Gulf Arab nations 'would study those proposals in a bid to boost good neighborliness and reciprocal respect' and contribute to fostering 'peace and stability in the region', China's official news agency Xinhua reported.
In his speech on Monday, Ahmadinejad made a string of proposals, including opening borders with the PGCC to strengthen economic relations, waiving visa requirements to facilitate free movement of citizens and protecting the regional environment.
In addition, Ahmadinejad offered to share Iran's expertise in various fields, including 'energy and new technologies'.
Iran could also offer water and natural gas to its neighbors, he said. He called for common investments in the oil and gas fields, for the establishment of a free trade zone between the two parties and for a visa waiver program for citizens of the seven states.
In the first ever attendance of an Iranian president in the Persian Gulf summit, Ahmadinejad announced Iran's readiness to enhance cooperation in the commercial, tourism, cultural, scientific and technological fields and said Tehran was prepared to offer the PGCC a free corridor from the North to South for the transportation of goods across its territory.
The Iranian president said the six oil-rich Persian Gulf Arab states, namely Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as well as Iran should work together to establish 'regional security and economic pacts' without foreign influence.
Establishment of economical and security pacts and institutions among the seven states will secure peace and prosperity for all, he said.
The two-day PGCC summit kicked off on Monday, with regional security and economic integration on top of the agenda.
Founded in 1981, the Saudi capital Riyadh-based PGCC is a regional political and economic alliance aimed at enhancing cooperation among its six member states.
© IRNA 2007
