GCC Secretary General Announces Unified Tourist Visa and Security Initiatives

RIYADH — Jasem Albudaiwi, secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), said that the Unified Gulf Tourist Visa project will be launched soon. “This will represent an important step towards strengthening Gulf integration and facilitate the movement of visitors among the GCC countries,” he said.

Addressing the “Security and History Dialogue 2026” conference in Riyadh on Sunday, Albudaiwi said that the unified visa will enable foreign visitors to travel more easily among the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, thereby supporting the tourism sector and enhancing the GCC’s position as a comprehensive regional destination.

On the security front, he emphasized the strong security coordination among the GCC interior ministers, noting that the recent meeting held in response to the Iranian attacks on GCC countries produced important outcomes that directly contributed to strengthening the security and stability of member states.

He pointed out that the GCC countries are working towards a shared goal of enhancing security cooperation and integration to confront various challenges. “Coordination, cooperation, and the exchange of expertise and capabilities have continued at all levels since the start of the Iranian attacks on February 28, and that some Gulf states, such as Saudi Arabia, have implemented legislative and logistical reforms to support and assist other member states,” he said.

Regarding digital challenges, Albudaiwi emphasized the vigilance of the GCC countries towards the risks facing youth, explaining that the GCC states have adopted a unified strategy to combat cybercrime, along with a joint Gulf strategy for dealing with artificial intelligence to ensure the effective utilization of modern technologies while simultaneously addressing their challenges.

He also revealed ongoing Gulf efforts to combat drugs, stressing that there are gangs, entities, and countries seeking to target Gulf societies, particularly young people, through the promotion of narcotics. “We have information that there are drug factories whose sole target is Gulf youth,” he said.

Albudaiwi indicated that these schemes prompted the GCC countries to adopt a unified strategy to confront the scourge of drugs last year, through continuous security coordination and a specialized anti-drug committee that holds regular meetings to unify Gulf efforts in this field.

The GCC chief affirmed that the Gulf countries have achieved numerous accomplishments in recent years that have directly impacted the lives of citizens. These include the mutual recognition of driver’s licenses, facilitating the movement of citizens among member states, electronically linking security systems, and linking traffic violations while developing related services across the GCC countries.

Albudaiwi pointed out that joint Gulf action has witnessed remarkable development in recent years, stressing that the vision of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman for Gulf action has contributed to bringing about a qualitative shift in the paths of security cooperation. This has been achieved through intensifying joint meetings and delivering tangible results that have strengthened the security and stability of the GCC countries and enhanced their integration across various fields.