Kuwait city: The world today is witnessing escalating conflicts and humanitarian suffering, and it is important to respect nations’ sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as international solidarity to address the current challenges that compromise global security and stability, said the European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas.
According to Qatar News Agency, in her remarks marking the launch of the 29th Joint Ministerial Meeting between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the European Union (EU), hosted by the State of Kuwait with the participation of foreign ministers and high-ranking officials from both sides, Kallas affirmed that 2025 has been characterized by further turmoil as the regional and global conflict reached its peak last year.
She expressed the European Union’s unflagging solidarity with the State of Qatar and its people, underscoring that respect for nations’ sovereignty and territorial integrity remains a cornerstone of the international order.
The EU-GCC relationship is going through a new dynamic phase, as the two sides are working in unison in the areas of commerce, energy, green transformation, security, and humanitarian action, Kallas underlined.
She indicated that practical mechanisms have been launched to reinforce cooperation, including the Investment Dialogue, Green Transition Forum, and European Radiological Data Exchange Platform (EURDEP).
Touching on the Palestinian affair, Kallas stressed the EU’s extreme perturbation over the calamitous humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip following two years of attacks since Oct. 7, 2023, affirming that ending the humanitarian suffering in the Strip is an absolute priority for the EU.
The EU has been the first donor that pitched in and provided humanitarian aid to Gaza and created a new donor group dedicated to Gaza’s redevelopment, she highlighted.
The EU has declared its commitment to providing EUR 2 billion for the period 2025-2027 to support the Palestinian Authority and bolster its capability to execute the reform program, Kallas pointed out, demanding that Israel release the withheld clearance funds.
Kallas further lauded the efforts made by US President Donald Trump to push the ceasefire forward, release the hostages, and broaden a political aperture for the two-state solution, welcoming the Hamas movement’s acceptance of the laid-out proposal, and stressing the importance of having both parties sit at the negotiating table to end the cycle of violence and anguish.
The Russian war against Ukraine still represents an egregious breach of the UN Charter, with the EU continuing to steadfastly provide support for Ukraine, militarily, economically, politically, and diplomatically, for reaching a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace based on respect for international law, added Kallas.
She welcomed the efforts energized by US President Donald Trump to end the war and lavished praise on the role undertaken by the GCC states in facilitating the prisoner swap operations and returning the deported Ukrainian children.
Kallas entreated the EU’s partners in the Gulf to leverage their diplomatic channels with Russia and urge it to cease fighting and seriously engage in the peace talks.
Furthermore, Kallas noted that there are encouraging developments in Syria, underscoring the importance of a persistent transitional process and of bolstering inclusive governance and safeguarding all Syrians without discrimination. She affirmed that international political and financial support will be pivotal to ensuring that all Syrians reap the benefits of reconstruction efforts.
Finally, Kallas averred that today the EU reactivates its strategic partnership so as to be able to put forward a joint vision and concrete outcomes that achieve stability, prosperity, and hope for the peoples when they convene the upcoming EU-GCC Summit.