On Monday 6 October in Kuwait, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, said that the countries of the EU and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) had managed, “despite the instability in the region”, to implement “nearly 50% of the commitments” made at the bilateral summit in October 2024 (see EUROPE 13505/1), citing “practical mechanisms such as the Trade and Investment Dialogue and the Green Transition Forum”.
At a meeting of the EU-GCC Joint Council, Ms Kallas spoke of “considerable potential to be exploited, particularly in terms of bringing together our scientists, universities and innovators”.
On the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the High Representative expressed her “solidarity with Qatar”, saying that the country’s territorial integrity must be respected. She was referring to the Israeli bombardment that killed several representatives of the terrorist organisation Hamas, who were in Qatar in September to negotiate with Israeli representatives. The day before, it had strongly condemned this attack on Qatar’s “sovereignty” and its “vital” role as mediator in the Middle East, while welcoming the Israeli Prime Minister’s apology.
Ms Kallas welcomed the Trump plan for peace in Gaza, which is intended to put an end to the “infernal cycle of death” (see EUROPE 13723/11). The European Union is ready to contribute to a political process, she added, pointing out that the EU is the Palestinian Authority’s biggest financial backer, providing €1.6 billion over the period 2025-2027.
See the joint EU/GCC declaration: https://aeur.eu/f/isn (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)