MANAMA /Kingdom of Bahrain/, October 18. /TASS/. Russia supports the peacekeeping efforts of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which are aimed at preventing a full·scale war in the Middle East, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a ministerial meeting of the Russia-GCC strategic dialogue.

"Russia supports the ongoing peacekeeping efforts, including those of the countries represented here, [efforts] that are aimed at preventing a return to a full·scale war in the region," he said.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is a regional organization comprising six countries: Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE, Oman, and Saudi Arabia. The organization’s goal is to expand cooperation among the member countries in all areas and to develop common positions on key international and regional issues. The GCC charter says that its members are "united by a common historical and cultural development and a similarity of political systems" (all member countries are monarchies).