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
The United States has successfully conducted two closely guarded tests of President Donald Trump’s ambitious Golden Dome missile defense system, marking significant progress toward building a nationwide shield capable of defending the American homeland against ballistic, hypersonic, cruise missile and other advanced aerial threats.
Five years after the Taliban returned to power, an estimated 2.4 million Afghan girls remain barred from secondary education, marking one of the most sweeping reversals of women’s rights anywhere in the world.
A Christian motorist in Britain is considering legal action after his insurer reportedly told him that his car insurance could not continue unless he removed handmade “Jesus Loves You” messages from his vehicle.
Israel and Venezuela have agreed to renew consular relations for the first time since diplomatic ties were severed in 2009, marking another significant diplomatic development for Jerusalem in Latin America.
Colombia has formally recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, becoming only the second nation in the world after the United States to do so.
The International Atomic Energy Agency is expected to remove nuclear material from a clandestine site in Syria under a secret agreement brokered by the Trump administration between Israel and Syria, according to reports Monday.
Syria and Russia have reached an agreement that will strip Moscow of exclusive control over two strategic military bases on Syria’s Mediterranean coast, marking a major shift in Russia’s Middle East military presence following the collapse of the Bashar al-Assad government.