Kuwait's Minister of State for Economic Affairs and Investment and Acting Minister of Commerce and Industry Abdulaziz Al-Marzouq stressed Tuesday the need to move the free trade agreement between the GCC states and the United Kingdom from dialogue to implementation.
Speaking at the GCC-UK Strategic Dialogue Conference, Al-Marzouq said decision-making at this critical juncture was essential to turning opportunities into projects, partnerships, and tangible, measurable economic value.
He noted that the GCC-UK free trade agreement had been carefully prepared, adding that completing it would give businesses on both sides greater clarity and market access, helping them advance their investment plans.
The next phase of GCC-UK relations should build on their longstanding ties and pave the way for a deeper partnership in trade, investment, technology, infrastructure, financial services and advanced industries, alongside other shared priority areas, he said.
Al-Marzouq pointed out that the global investment landscape was changing rapidly, with investors increasingly looking beyond market size to consider stability, policy clarity, connectivity, innovation and long-term
opportunities.
Economic diversification across GCC countries continued to open new avenues for international partnerships, he said, adding that Kuwait was focused on attracting quality investments that promote sustainable growth, support innovation, create high-value jobs and strengthen the private sector.
In turn, UK Minister of State for Trade Policy Anas Sarwar called for the free trade agreement to move into implementation without waiting for the formal ratification procedures to be completed.
Sarwar expressed hope that the period leading up to formal ratification would see more concrete projects and new partnerships, translating political ambitions into tangible achievements.
He cited aviation, which is expanding rapidly across the Gulf, as well as financial and legal services, as promising areas for cooperation.
Sarwar also proposed exploring stronger GCC-UK partnerships for joint investment in third countries, rather than focusing exclusively on bilateral investment opportunities, describing this as a significant avenue for expanding cooperation.
Participants at the conference discussed ways to develop economic relations between the GCC and the UK, focusing on trade, investment, financial services, capital-market investments and digital economies.
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