Escalating Middle East conflict to top EU-GCC summit agenda

Ukraine war, energy and next-level co-operation to be discussed as leaders meet for summit in Brussels

Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel. Photo: Dubai Media Office

European Union heads of state pose with their Gulf counterparts during a group photo in Brussels. AP

France's President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had a bilateral meeting in Brussels. AFP

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani at the summit. AFP

Ms von der Leyen and Mr Michel with Oman's Deputy Prime Minister for Relations and International Affairs Sayyid Asaad Tariq Taimur Al Said. Reuters

The Prime Minister of Kuwait Ahmad Al Abdullah Al Sabah arrives. AFP

Ms von der Leyen and Mr Michel welcome the Secretary General of the Gulf Co-operation Council Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi. AP

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, left, with the European Union's foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell. EPA

Mohammed bin Salman greets the Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof. AP

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani speaks with Mr Michel. AP

Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza

The escalating conflict in Gaza and Lebanon, along with the risk of a broader regional war, will be high on the agenda during a meeting between European leaders and their GCC counterparts on Wednesday.

Energy, migration, and the war in Ukraine will also be discussed during the gathering in at the European Council in Brussels.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia is among leaders from six Gulf countries attending this inaugural summit with EU leaders. The event is co-hosted by Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim and European Council President Charles Michel.

The UAE delegation is led by Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed, First Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, and includes Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Co-operation, Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, Khalifa Al Marar, Minister of State, Lana Nusseibeh, Assistant Minister for Political Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Mohamed Al Sahlawi, UAE ambassador to the EU.

Trade, climate action and Israel's wars in Gaza and Lebanon were among the topics of discussion between Reem Al Hashimy and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola before the summit.

“It is important to establish this dialogue at the highest possible level in order to join our voices and the call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza in order to ensure that this conflict does not completely spiral out of control,” said the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis as he arrived at the summit.

A draft version of a final communique circulating in Brussels on Wednesday said the blocs would deepen their partnership across a broad front, including participation in another joint meeting in Riyadh in January.

“We commit to our EU-GCC strategic partnership and pledge to elevate it to the next level,” it read. “We agree to build our strategic partnership, based on mutual respect and trust, for the benefit of the people of our regions and beyond.

“We will engage in negotiations of bilateral strategic partnership agreements between the EU and the GCC countries with a view to strengthening our existing co-operation. We will also actively explore and seek enhanced co-operation on security through the definition and implementation of joint priorities and co-operation initiatives on security.”

The document also expressed concern about Israeli military action over Lebanon's Blue Line and called for implementation of UN Resolution 1701. It called for increased humanitarian access to Gaza and redoubled support for a two-state solution to that conflict.

“We strongly condemn attacks against civilians and humanitarian workers, whose safety must be ensured. We call for an immediate and enduring ceasefire and stress the need to implement orders of the International Court of Justice, which are legally binding.”

European leaders said the meeting would seek urgent solutions to the deteriorating situation in the Middle East.

“The signal is first of all that we are partners, and in many topics we are partners with aligned interests,” the Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo told reporters. “Peace will only come when reasonable people sit around the table and we know that many Gulf countries have been facilitators in that and we hope that we continue to join forces in that.”

“We want to avoid a general conflagration, which is a fear on both sides,” an EU official told a briefing before the summit began. The talks come as Israeli escalates what it calls “targeted attacks” on Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The death toll in Lebanon has exceeded 2,350, and more than 1.2 million people have been displaced.

Cross-border exchanges of fire along the Israel-Lebanon border have already led to the displacement of tens of thousands before the conflict escalated into an air and ground campaign by Israel.

“We share the same concerns about peace and security in the region,” said EU's foreign affairs minister Josep Borrell before a working dinner with GCC foreign ministers on Tuesday.

“Both meetings – today at the ministerial level and tomorrow at the leaders' level – reflect the growing positive dynamics between the Gulf Co-operation Council and the European Union.”

While discussions are under way to release a joint statement, its final form remains uncertain. European officials said they were optimistic. One EU diplomat said that GCC countries were prudent in wording linked with Iran.

“They want to give space to a dialogue which has been developing between GCC and Iran,” he said.

Salman bin Hamad, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Bahrain, and Kuwait's Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah are also expected to attend. Oman will be represented by Deputy Prime Minister for International Affairs Sayyid Asaad bin Tariq.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Mr Borrell will participate in the EU-GCC meeting, alongside the heads of the EU's 27 nations, ahead of a European Union leaders' summit on Thursday. The EU has called for a ceasefire in both Lebanon and Gaza.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will attend the summit in person on Thursday in an effort to win more support from the EU for his country's war effort against Russia.

With the war in Ukraine, Europeans are eager to strengthen partnerships with the Gulf leaders to address the continent’s growing energy needs and to create a unified response to international conflicts.

Migration will also be a crucial topic at the summit, with 14 member states, including Germany, France and Italy pushing the issue at all levels of the EU.

European countries aim to curb irregular migration by strengthening partnerships with non-EU countries. A letter from Ms von der Leyen to EU leaders on October 14 emphasises the need for continued co-operation with third countries and is expected to guide discussions on migration.

Her 10-point plan to modernise Europe’s migration system includes a proposal for return hubs in non-EU countries to expedite the deportation of individuals who do not qualify for asylum status.