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EU, Persian Gulf leaders to discuss conflicts in Ukraine and Middle East

The first EU-GCC summit will be co-chaired by the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, as the rotating President of the GCC

BRUSSELS, October 16. /TASS/. Conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East will be among the main themes of the first summit of the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), to be held in Brussels on Wednesday.

A high-ranking European official told reporters in Brussels on Tuesday that the European Union is seeking a closer relationship with Persian Gulf countries against the backdrop of these two conflicts.

The first EU-GCC summit will be co-chaired by the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, as the rotating President of the GCC.

When asked about who exactly will travel to Brussels, the EU official replied he expected broad participation on a high level, without giving any names. Apart from EU countries, Brussels invited the leaders of the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait to participate.

Another major goal of the event is to develop bilateral relations, particularly in the sphere of trade and energy, the EU official said.

Different approaches to Ukrainian issue

The participants of the summit are to adopt a joint statement reflecting all issues on the agenda. A high-ranking EU official told reporters that the sides have contrasting approaches to the matter.

A draft joint statement seen by Europe’s Politico newspaper shows that the EU had failed to persuade Gulf states to undertake a number of pro-Ukrainian commitments. According to the report, Gulf countries suggested deleting a passage vowing to improve joint work on sanctions circumvention.

In another instance, the EU proposed language calling on all countries to end material aid for Russia, but "the Gulf countries instead wanted more generic language urging all parties to stop sending weapons to the conflict."

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