Doha, September 17 (QNA) - The State of Qatar, represented by the General Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA), hosted today the 20th meeting of the Executive Committee of Civil Aviation in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states.

The State of Qatar was represented in the meeting by Mohammed bin Faleh Al Hajri, in charge of managing QCAA.

During his opening speech, Al Hajri welcomed the heads of civil aviation authorities in the GCC States and stressed the need for working together in order to maintain leadership and face all the challenges and changes occurring in the civil aviation industry by enhancing joint efforts and exchanging expertise and best practices.

He said that the integration our air systems and the modernization of aviation infrastructure are a top priority to ensure the safety and efficiency of our air operations, while commending the efforts made by all brothers to enhance cooperation between the sisterly GCC countries, which contribute to developing and strengthening relations between them at various levels.

He also highlighted the vital and important role played by the Gulf air transport industry at the global level and the advanced position that this industry has reached in the Gulf region thanks to joint efforts.

He pointed to the need to benefit from this meeting to review the available opportunities to increase cooperation in various fields related to civil aviation, in a way that contributes to achieving all common goals.

The meeting included discussions on a number of topics, the most important of which were studying the establishment of the Gulf Civil Aviation Authority, and researching the mechanism for cooperation between civil aviation authorities in the GCC countries regarding the unified program for assessing the safety of foreign aircraft operating at the airports of the Council countries, and the mechanism for implementing the blacklist.

The most prominent achievements of the GCC countries in the air navigation and aviation sector were also discussed, along with developments in establishing a unified upper airspace for the GCC countries and other issues related to cooperation between the GCC countries in the field of civil aviation.

The meeting also discussed topics related to cooperation with the Turkish side and the Central Asian countries in the field of transportation and communications.

(QNA)