By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
BRUSSELS (Worthy News) – The European Union held its first summit with the Gulf states on Wednesday amid mounting Middle East tensions and as the bloc struggles to receive global support in efforts to isolate Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
The summit, which lasted just a few hours, included issues ranging from visas and trade to the situation in the Middle East, where Israel says it fights at some seven fronts for its existence.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, listed the battlegrounds as Iran, Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, Shia militants in Iraq, militant groups in Syria as well as Palestinian fighters in the West Bank.
Officials said the EU also raised human rights issues with their visitors, who included Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The United States, United Nationa, and others say aides of Prince Mohammed and other Saudi officials killed U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi, whose columns for The Washington Post newspaper criticized the crown prince.
The prince has denied that he ordered the killing of Jamal Khashoggi or had prior knowledge about it but says he bears all responsibility for the killing.
‘LONG OVERDUE’
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said the summit was “long overdue” and added that “the economic ties between the European Union and the Gulf countries need to be strengthened.”
“They are there, but they have the potential to be developed much, much further,” he said.
The EU also attempted to convince the Gulf States to help it isolate Russia, as its war with Ukraine is believed to have killed and injured hundreds of thousands of people.
To pressure Iran, support from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates is also needed.
This week, the EU imposed sanctions on Iran’s deputy defense minister, senior members of its feared Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and three airlines over allegations that they supplied drones, missiles, and other equipment to Russia for use in its war against Ukraine.
Since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the 27-member EU has also reached out to other regional blocs, holding its first summit with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its first in eight years with the Community of Caribbean and Latin American Countries (CELAC).
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
A suspected Islamic extremist armed with a knife stabbed three men in front of schoolchildren at a train station near Zurich, Switzerland’s financial capital, officials said Thursday.
The Pentagon has spent months positioning warships, aircraft, surveillance assets, and Marines around the Caribbean as President Donald Trump weighs possible military action against Cuba, according to a Politico report.
U.S. Central Command has confirmed to Congress that foreign adversaries have exploited commercially available cell phone location data to surveil and potentially target American military personnel in active war zones, raising fresh concerns over troop security in the Middle East.
The U.S. Department of War is stepping up efforts to protect Christians in Nigeria after President Donald Trump directed military leaders to focus on terrorist networks targeting believers in the West African nation, War Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel now controls roughly 60 percent of the Gaza Strip and has ordered the Israel Defense Forces to expand that control to 70 percent, signaling a major escalation in Jerusalem’s campaign to weaken Hamas and prevent the terror group from rebuilding its military rule.
Israel carried out a targeted strike Thursday in a suburb south of Beirut, marking its first attack near the Lebanese capital in three weeks as the conflict with Hezbollah and Iran-backed terrorist groups intensifies.
President Donald Trump is weighing whether to approve a 60-day memorandum of understanding with Iran that would extend the fragile ceasefire in the Middle East, reopen the Strait of Hormuz to unrestricted shipping, and launch a new round of negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program.