'GCC-EU Summit To Pave Way For Deeper Cooperation'

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Victor Bolorunduro | The Peninsula

Doha, Qatar: The GCC-EU Summit to be held today in Brussels will pave the way for deeper cooperation between the two regions in several sectors, including trade and investments, the green and digital transition, sustainable energy, education, research and innovation, and investments in projects, among others, the EU Ambassador to Qatar, HE Dr. Cristian Tudor, said at a media roundtable yesterday.

The Summit, being co-chaired by the GCC Rotating Presidency, represented by the Amir H H sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, will witness the participation of the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the High Representative and Vice President, Josep Borrell Fontelles, and the Heads of State and Government of the six GCC Member States and the 27 EU Member States.

The event will be the first time ever that Heads of State and Government of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the European Union (EU) will be gathering in Brussels.

The EU Ambassador to Qatar noted that this summit is a key milestone to give a further boost to the region-to-region partnership.

“As the first-ever summit at the level of heads of state, it confirms the intention held by both blocs to elevate the growing partnership between the EU and the GCC to the strategic level.

Building upon the 2022 EU Joint Communication for a Strategic Partnership, the 27th EU-GCC Joint Council held in Muscat on 10 October 2023, and the EU-GCC High-Level Forum on Regional Security and Cooperation held in Luxembourg on 22 April 2024, the EU and the GCC are on track to discuss together themes of common interest such as security, trade and investment, climate and energy, connectivity, transport, and people-to-people contacts,” he said. Ambassador Tudor added that a stronger partnership with the Gulf on these themes will allow addressing arising challenges together.

“Amid the current geopolitical situation in the Middle East and the risk of a regional escalation, the EU appreciates the efforts of GCC members towards de-escalation of tensions. The Summit will be an opportunity for the EU and the GCC to work together on crucial themes of mutual interest and build a partnership based on sustainable prosperity and stability for both sides,” Dr. Tudor added.

As EU and GCC leaders confirm their joint commitment to work together, the EU-GCC Summit aspires to fundamentally strengthen EU-GCC cooperation at the regional and bilateral levels, giving way to an ever-stronger strategic partnership.

According to the Ambassador, the main objectives of the gathering include building on the EU's 2022 Joint Communication on a Strategic Partnership with the Gulf, as the Summit aims to strengthen cooperation between the EU and the GCC and its members to advance shared interests.

“At the same time, the EU is dedicated to helping foster people-to-people relations,” he said, adding,“The EU can support inter-regional ties and bilateral cooperation in education, vocational training, women's empowerment, skills development, and civic participation through different programs, including Erasmus+.” He noted that the EU aims to continue and deepen the EU-GCC partners Human Rights Dialogues on the basis of mutual respect.“The latest EU-Qatar Human Rights Dialogue took place in late September in Brussels, and both sides acknowledged that it was very successful. EU and Qatar are currently working on implementing joint projects together as a follow-up to the latest dialogue,” he said.

The Ambassador added that the next annual EU-GCC Business Forum will be held at the end of November in Doha.

On the Palestine issue, the Ambassador said that the EU and the Gulf countries have already joined efforts to push for a solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

“The EU supports the current diplomatic efforts for a cease-fire, with the leading role of Qatar. Together with Saudi Arabia and other partners, we have launched a global alliance to advance the two-state solution,” he said.

Dr. Tudor noted that the security of the two regions is deeply interconnected. Therefore, strategic coordination on key regional security files (de-escalation in the Middle East, a political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, regional nuclear non-proliferation, Russia's aggression against Ukraine, violence in the Horn of Africa) is an important deliverable of the Summit.

“The current regional security situation is fragile. The EU remains committed to engaging with regional actors to call for diplomacy, dialogue, restraint and to prevent further military escalation. We are grateful to our Gulf partners for their intensive efforts to date,” he said.

The Ambassador said that as a regional organisation, the GCC is one of the EU's key security partners. Likewise, the EU intends to become a security interlocutor for the GCC.

He noted that the EU and GCC will also discuss enhanced cooperation on maritime security, counter-terrorism, non-proliferation, and cyber and hybrid threats as well as response to disasters at the event, among others.

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