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A first of its kind event, the summit explored ongoing regional tensions, as well as areas to strengthen bilateral ties to enhance economic diversification goals.
Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon, urging the international community to act towards justice “far from any double standards” at the first EU-GCC Summit held in Brussels on Wednesday.
Stressing the importance of collaboration between the European body and GCC member states, the Amir — also the current rotating President of the GCC — called on the EU to drum up support for a permanent two-state solution to end the ongoing Israeli atrocities.
“The destructive war waged by Israel on Palestine and on Lebanon, which has made war crimes something normal, is something that we cannot accept […] We call for the EU to play a major role in bringing together the whole world for the two-state solution. This has to be done irreversibly,” he said.
Speaking to Doha News, Anna Jacobs, Senior Gulf Analyst at the International Crisis Group, highlighted Qatar’s commitment to working cooperatively with its partners to mediate in the region.
“Qatar can provide expertise and support multilateral cooperation with European states and institutions looking to support conflict mitigation and increase humanitarian aid delivery,” Jacobs said, as exemplified by Qatari cooperation with French authorities for a joint humanitarian effort to support Lebanon.
Co-chaired by the Amir and the European Council President Charles Michel, other key discussions at the summit in Brussels included regional security, as well as mutual investment, trade, and people-to-people collaboration between the two blocs.
Regarding international alliances, Jacobs added that the Gulf bloc maintains close political and economic ties with Europe, North America as well as influential powers such as China and Russia.
“While the GCC’s security partners are in the West, its primary economic partners are in the East, and especially China. Maintaining this balance between the U.S. and China, in particular, is difficult, but many GCC states are managing this balancing act very well,” she added.
Regional tensions and humanitarian initiatives
To meet current challenges, the summit prioritised discussions on strategies for fostering long-lasting stability and peace in both regions.
Strategies to tackle critical regional security issues, such as the ongoing Israeli onslaught on Gaza and Lebanon, nuclear non-proliferation, Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, and violence in the Horn of Africa, Yemen, Sudan, and Syria were among the top priorities.
Qatar’s Amir, in his address, said the key takeaway of the summit should be to “promote the principles of justice and international legitimacy, […]undermine collective security, upon which the whole international community has agreed.”
He clarified the GCC’s position on the Russia-Ukraine war and welcomed the efforts to establish long-term peace by ending the war.
“The GCC’s position is based on international law principles and the Charter of the United Nations, which preserves the sovereignty of states, their territorial integrity and the non-interference in the internal affairs of states,” he said. “The GCC supports all brokers that try to find a peaceful settlement to this conflict.”
An EU official told Doha News that the key objective of taking the partnership to a “strategic” level was to create “interdependencies” that can in turn “promote peaceful resolutions to conflicts” in both regions.
“[The partnership] aims to be the motor in promoting common objectives as close partners, anchored in respect for an international rules-based order fully respecting international law, including the United Nations (UN) Charter, international humanitarian law and the promotion and protection of universal human rights,” a joint statement released after the summit read.
Economic and trade ties
Bolstering trade, investment and economic cooperation between the two blocs was also high on the summit’s agenda.
During his opening remarks, Qatar’s Amir highlighted the substantial trade figures between the two sides. He noted that the GCC exports to Europe in 2022 reached $106.3bn, while direct investment from Europe vice versa reached $233bn that same year.
“We need to reinforce this cooperation and to put in place, if needed, new ways to increase this cooperation,” Sheikh Tamim added.
In line with the goals of Qatar National Vision 2030, the Gulf state is intensifying efforts towards economic diversification to lessen the economy’s reliance on the energy sector. Initiatives, such as the EU-GCC Dialogue on Economic Diversification, which was launched in 2018, promotes bilateral dialogue between the blocs’ stakeholders.
Speaking to Doha News, an EU official also explained that trade negotiations are important to EU-GCC strategic partnerships to promote stability and prosperity.
“[One of] the summit’s aim was to give new impetus to the negotiations of a Free Trade Agreement between the two blocs,” the official said.
Negotiations for an agreement between the EU and GCC first began in 1990, but were suspended 18 years later due to “several challenges” that were encountered.
“Both sides are focused on securing agreements, which will help increase mutual trade and investment,” Jacobs told Doha News.
She also highlighted the increasing focus on climate security cooperation and investments in green energy.
“Europe has particular expertise in green energy development, and GCC countries are eager to diversify their energy income streams away from fossil fuels,” Jacobs added.
Climate change
Wednesday’s summit also reinforced the two regions’ commitment to exploring cooperation on energy security, especially within the efficiency and renewable energy fields.
During his remarks, Sheikh Tamim said that in addition to international trade and the mutual sharing of expertise, Qatar is also keen to invest with Europe regarding strategies to “[combat] climate change [and] protecting the environment.”
For her part, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, added that the Gulf economy is making “big strides” in energy diversification.
Qatar’s proactive approach to decreasing reliance on non-renewable energy includes the Al Kharsaah solar power plant initiative – the country’s first large-scale project of its kind at the size of approximately 1,400 football fields.
Inaugurated two years ago, the Al Kharsaah plant, of which Qatar Energy Renewable Solutions is a 60 percent stakeholder, has a full capacity of 800 megawatt-peak (MWp). After its first year of operation, it was forecasted to generate almost two million megawatt-hours (MWh) by 2023, which is the equivalent energy consumption of at least 55,000 Qatari homes.
The French multinational energy and petroleum company and Marubeni have a combined 40 percent stake in the project.
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