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
Israel marked 1,000 days since the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre on Thursday with a day of mourning, protest, and national soul-searching, as bereaved families, survivors, former hostages, and demonstrators gathered across the country to remember the dead and demand accountability from the government.
President Donald Trump’s administration is moving to confront what officials describe as years of “weaponized” lawfare against American farmers, ranchers, and small businesses, with the Department of Agriculture and the Small Business Administration set to announce a new agreement Thursday aimed at protecting rural America from regulatory abuse.
A period of national mourning was underway in Venezuela on Thursday as hope of finding survivors faded following last week’s devastating twin earthquakes, with the official death toll nearing 2,000 and tens of thousands of people still unaccounted for.
Researchers say they have taken a major step toward creating life from scratch after building tiny synthetic cell-like structures that can feed, grow, copy genetic material, and divide in a laboratory dish.
Numerous people have been killed and injured in a massive overnight Russian attack on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv that forced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to cut short his visit to Ireland, officials said early Thursday.
The Council of Europe’s top constitutional advisory body arrives in Hungary on Thursday to assess a controversial constitutional amendment that would remove President Tamás Sulyok from office, amid growing domestic and international concern over the country’s democratic institutions.
The Catholic Church faced one of its most serious internal confrontations in decades Wednesday after the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) consecrated four bishops without papal approval, despite an emotional last-minute appeal from Pope Leo XIV.