AMMAN, May 10 (Xinhua) -- The Jordanian government on Tuesday welcomed the Gulf Cooperation Council's (GCC) support for the Arab kingdom's request to join the council.
The government said the decision to request for a GCC membership followed intensive efforts by King Abdullah II of Jordan with the leaders of the Gulf countries, adding that joining the council would cement Jordan's ties with the Gulf states, according to a statement of which a copy was obtained by Xinhua.
"Jordan is looking forward to starting dialogue with the Gulf states' foreign ministers to complete the membership requirements, " the Jordanian government said in the statement Tuesday.
The GCC Secretary General Abdul Latif al-Zayani said Tuesday that leaders of the GCC member states supported the request by Jordan to join the council.
The leaders have tasked their foreign ministers to start a dialogue with Amman to complete the requirements of joining the council.
Established upon an agreement signed on May 25, 1981 in Riyadh, the GCC groups Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman, and seeks to foster coordination, integration and inter-connection among the member states in all fields in order to achieve a regional unity.
