HE the Minister of Commerce and Industry Sheikh Mohamed bin Hamad bin Qassim al-Thani chaired the ministerial meetings of the Gulf Co-operation Council 66th commercial co-operation committee, the 52nd industrial co-operation committee, and the 7th ministerial committee of the standardisation affairs meeting in Doha on Wednesday.The meeting was held in the presence of GCC’s ministers of commerce and industry; Jassim Mohamed al-Budaiwi, GCC secretary-general; and undersecretaries in GCC countries.Sheikh Mohamed welcomed the ministers and expressed his gratitude to Oman for chairing the meetings of commerce and industry co-operation committees and the standardisation committee last year, which resulted in various constructive recommendations that contributed to supporting and reinforcing joint action of the GCC countries.He said GCC countries are keen to improve constructive co-operation across sectors, most importantly the commercial sector, which is a crucial driver of integrated economic growth that reinforce the countries' efforts at pursuing the goals of economic diversification and create opportunities to generate income, employment, and investment.The minister noted the economic challenges the world is facing. The Gulf countries are accelerating joint action to improve various sectors, especially the industrial sector, for Gulf economic integration through adopting a unified manufacturing strategy.The minister praised the efforts of the Gulf Standardisation Authority, pointing to the necessity to continue the efforts in improving and unifying the standardisation activities across GCC countries, which will contribute to encouraging Gulf industries and products and making them more competitive.