The Gulf Co-operation Council and Pakistan have signed a free trade agreement, the GCC said on Thursday.
The agreement was signed by GCC Secretary General Jasem Al Budaiwi and Pakistani trade minister Gohar Ejaz.
Mr Al Budaiwi said the preliminary agreement recognises the importance of strengthening trade relations and economic co-operation with countries and international blocs.
The statement was made during the signing ceremony on Thursday at the headquarters of the General Secretariat in Riyadh.
Mr Al Budaiwi called the deal a “historic economic agreement” and said it represented a “turning point in co-operation”.
The agreement would “contribute to the growth and prosperity in a way that serves the common interests of both sides”, he said.
GCC countries are proceeding with free trade negotiations with other countries, Mr Al Budaiwi said, in an attempt to open and enhance the prospects for trade and economic co-operation for the council member states regionally and internationally.
23-man shortlist for next six Hall of Fame inductees
Tony Adams, David Beckham, Dennis Bergkamp, Sol Campbell, Eric Cantona, Andrew Cole, Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba, Les Ferdinand, Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler, Steven Gerrard, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Matt Le Tissier, Michael Owen, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes, John Terry, Robin van Persie, Nemanja Vidic, Patrick Viera, Ian Wright.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
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Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
