The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is key to peace in Yemen and could fend off security threats in the war-torn country, a Kuwaiti academic told a distinguished panel at an event on Tuesday hosted by UK think tank Chatham House.

An important step in achieving that is making Yemen a GCC member, Bader Al-Saif said at the event, titled “The GCC at 40: Prospects for the Future” and attended by Arab News.

“It’s about time that Yemen is once and for all seriously considered as an active full member of the GCC. There are synergies that will bring benefits to both sides of the formula,” added Al-Saif, assistant professor of history at Kuwait University.

Referring to a 2011 Saudi-led proposal to transform the bloc into a Gulf Union to counter Iranian influence in the region, he said: “We could bring a permanent resolution to Yemen if we can tie that track with the track of acceding Yemen into the GCC.”

At the event, Al-Saif and other analysts detailed avenues through which the GCC could expand its geopolitical powers.

He said if the bloc wants to push forward to new heights, it needs to have a stamp in the global arena.

“There’s clearly that appetite from Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia … Hopefully we can go back to that collective action,” Al-Saif added. “I think when push comes to shove, they’ll come together and advance certain initiatives.”