Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jassim Muhammad al-Budaiwi stressed the great importance of the GCC-US strategic partnership in enhancing the region's maritime security and securing freedom of maritime navigation and international trade. During his meeting with Commander of the US Naval Forces Central Command, US 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, al-Budaiwi highlighted the importance of this joint work in the security of waterways and maritime navigation to guarantee freedom in navigation and trade to the region and the world. He noted that maritime security is one of the most important topics within the framework of the GCC-US strategic partnership. A specialized working group was formed for this purpose in 2015 and the group meets periodically to agree on the necessary steps to enhance co-operation between the two sides in the field of maritime security, as also confirmed in successive GCC-US summits. The two sides also discussed a number of issues related to maritime security in the Arab Gulf region, as well as strengthening GCC-US co-operation and working with international and regional partners to secure this file. -- QNA