The European Union(EU) opened its first summit with the Gulf states on Wednesday in Brussels, reports Arab News/Reuters.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel welcomed Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi Crown Prince.
Later, on Wednesday, the Prince had a meeting with Von der Leyen on the sidelines of the event.
The prince also had meetings with French president Emmanuel Macron, Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez, and Greek premier Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Opening the summit, the European Council President affirmed the bloc's readiness to build a strategic partnership with the GCC countries.
He further stated that hope was needed more than ever as global stability is in serious jeopardy due to the situation in the Middle East.
Since Russia’s assault on Ukraine, the EU has reached out to other regional blocs such as ASEAN and CELAC.
The goal of the meeting with the six Arab states of the Gulf Cooperation Council is to strengthen the relationship and make it more strategic, acknowledging their influence, especially in conflicts like those in Ukraine and the Middle East.
“The Gulf region is at the crossroads between Asia, Europe and Africa. It plays a very important role in many of the crisis of today,” a senior EU official said.
An EU partnership with GCC states would cover trade and investment, renewable energy, regional security and citizen issues such as visas.
Even though the EU wants GCC partners to agree with its narrative concerning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it does not expect them to fully adopt the West’s position in blaming Moscow.
Meanwhile, the Gulf states are requesting visa liberalization. At present, no EU visas are required for short stays for UAE citizens. However, other Gulf nations need to secure a visa valid for five years.
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