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Saudi Crown Prince Participates in European-Gulf Summit Addressing Middle East Situations
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is attending the first European-Gulf summit being held in Brussels on Wednesday, alongside leaders from six Gulf countries.
The discussions between the Gulf leaders and their counterparts from the European Union will focus on ways to avoid a "full-scale war" in the Middle East, according to European diplomats.
Additionally, the leaders of the six Gulf states, which include Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar, will discuss topics related to trade, energy, and climate change with EU leaders.
However, EU officials noted that the "main subject" of the meeting will be the Israeli military operations in Gaza and Lebanon, as well as the risk of escalating the conflict in the region.
The summit is set to feature European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell. The meeting will be co-chaired by European Council President Charles Michel and the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who currently holds the presidency of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Borrell stated on Tuesday evening, before a working dinner with the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, that "we have shared concerns about peace and security across the region."
The 27 countries in the European Union are also seeking to strengthen economic relations with the six Gulf Cooperation Council states. The EU is the second-largest trading partner for these countries, while talks that began in the 1990s regarding a free trade agreement remain stalled.
Moreover, there are still ongoing disagreements between the two sides on other issues, most notably the war in Ukraine.
