EU and GCC to hold first high-level security forum next month

EU and Gulf foreign ministers will meet in Luxembourg next month to discuss regional security issues, European officials told The National.

The Israel-Gaza war is likely to be high on the agenda as the EU struggles to mend diplomatic ties with the Arab region, amid accusations of double standards over the conflict.

The April 22 meeting will take place after a regular meeting of the EU’s 27 foreign affairs ministers.

The bloc has asked EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell to invite Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz to brief them.

“EU and GCC foreign ministers will come together for the first high-level forum for regional security and co-operation which will take place in the evening of April 22 in Luxembourg, back to back with the Foreign Affairs Council,” a senior EU official told The National.

Peter Stano, the EU’s lead foreign affairs spokesman, confirmed the high-level forum would take place on April 22.

“We will announce further details closer to the date,” he said.

As well as the war in Gaza, discussions are likely to include the EU’s naval mission to the Red Sea to defend commercial shipping from the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Officials decided to organise a high-level forum in October at a meeting in Muscat.

That was attended by Mr Borrell and senior Arab officials, including GCC Secretary General Jasem Al Budaiwi.

Joint working groups were set up to co-ordinate efforts on a number of security topics.

These included counter-terrorism and migration.

There has been a diplomatic push to introduce a strategic partnership between the EU and the GCC that was launched in 2022. This was an agreement to strengthen security, economic and energy relations.

The move was followed by the appointment of the first EU special envoy to the Gulf, Luigi Di Maio.

Mr Di Maio told The National last month that Gulf states have expertise that could help end the war in Gaza and pave the way for a two-state solution.

The urgency of the war is

expected to dominate talks between EU and Gulf officials as Arab criticism of the West’s stance on the conflict has surfaced in the past months, said Emily Tasinato, a researcher and analyst focused on politics and security in the Gulf region.

“The key question now is: can the EU regain credibility in the eyes of its Arab partners as an actor that acts according to human rights and moral values? Or has its credibility been irreversibly damaged?”

EU states did not agree on a call for a ceasefire until last week.

The bloc also took longer than the US and UK to impose sanctions on extremist Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.

The EU’s lack of unity on the conflict is “the primary obstacle hindering the bloc’s ability to lead an effective diplomatic effort”, Ms Tasinato said.

But senior officials including Mr Borrell have expressed interest in working with Arab states to find a political solution in Gaza.

Mr Borrell said in November that achieving a twostate solution “will require a coalition for peace”.

“The EU wants to be viewed as a partner supportive of Arab diplomatic efforts,” Ms Tasinato said.