GCC-European Summit in Brussels to Discuss Strategic Relations and Cooperation

BRUSSELS: The Sultanate of Oman is set to participate in the inaugural GCC-European Union Summit (GCC-EU Summit) in Brussels, Belgium, tomorrow, 16 October 2024. The summit aims to foster new strategic relationships and enhance cooperation between Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states and the European Union. According to Oman News Agency, Oman's delegation will be led by HH Sayyid Asa'ad bin Tarik Al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for International Relations and Cooperation Affairs and Personal Representative of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik. The summit will cover a broad agenda, focusing on trade, investment, energy, sustainability, and climate issues, while also aiming to strengthen cultural ties and address visa facilitation and geopolitical challenges, including those related to the Middle East and the ongoing war in Ukraine. GCC Secretary General Jasem Mohamed Al Budaiwi highlighted the summit as a peak of strategic and historical partnerships, marking more than three decades of collaboration betwe en the GCC and the EU. He emphasized the shared perspectives on regional and global issues that both sides hold. Ru'aa Issa Al Zadjali, Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman to Belgium and Head of Mission to the EU, described the summit as a significant milestone in the path to strategic partnership. "The summit reflects the two sides' commitment to upgrade bilateral relations amid growing regional and international challenges," Al Zadjali stated. Luigi Di Maio, EU Special Representative for the Gulf region, expressed gratitude towards the Sultanate of Oman for hosting the GCC-EU Ministerial Council in 2023, which he noted as a key precursor to this summit. "This is the first time that the leaders of the GCC states meet the leaders of the European Union countries on one platform," said Di Maio. In terms of economic relations, the GCC and the EU have seen steady growth in trade and investment. In 2022, the trade volume between the two regions reached approximately $204.3 billion, accounting for 13.2% of the t otal trade in goods entering the Gulf region, as per the GCC Statistical Centre.