Brussels – The first Gulf-European summit of leaders called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.
This came in a final statement issued by the summit, which was held earlier Wednesday in Brussels, in the presence of leaders and officials from the Gulf states and the European Union.
The statement called for an “immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon, and an end to the cycle of violence in the region.”
The two European-Gulf sides agreed to maintain the dialogue continuously, with Saudi Arabia hosting the second Gulf-European summit in 2026, and a ministerial-level meeting to be held in Kuwait next year.
This is the first summit held at the level of heads of state and government since the inauguration of official relations between the two sides in 1989, with the participation of 33 heads of state and prime ministers, according to a previous statement of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
The council includes Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, and the Sultanate of Oman
In a press conference following the summit, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman confirmed that “developments in the situation in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon occupied the largest part of the summit discussions.”
He added: “What we noticed during those discussions was the presence of a common agreement that the only way to resolve the conflict in the Middle East is through a two-state solution,” according to what was reported by the official Qatar News Agency.
The Qatari Prime Minister said: “We all see the urgent necessity to address the humanitarian situation in Palestine and Lebanon as well, and of course to reach a ceasefire as quickly as possible, and to stop this war soon. This had to happen a long time ago.”
Regarding the presence of obstacles in completing the ceasefire in Gaza, the Qatari official said: “As a mediator, it is not possible to talk about the most prominent obstacles and who is behind the obstacles, and with regard to the prospects for negotiations, which unfortunately stopped during the past weeks and there were no communications or dialogues, we found ourselves revolving in a vicious circle.” Silence from all parties…and this is unfortunate.”
He added: “We are doing our best to reach an end to these humanitarian disasters in Gaza, as well as to return the hostages and detainees (Israelis in Gaza) to their families, but it requires the two parties to agree and reach an agreement.”
Ibn Abdul Rahman continued: “If a party is unwilling or uninterested, this cannot be achieved… Likewise, what is happening in Lebanon is in addition to these complications and what the region is witnessing has led to many complications in the region, and has complicated matters for us as a mediator.”
Qatar, Egypt, and the United States have been leading mediation since the beginning of the genocidal war on Gaza, which resulted in a humanitarian truce for a week in late 2023, and faltering negotiations have continued since then to approve a second one.
Anatolia
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