Qatar-EU summit in October to herald new era of ties, says Ambassador

Doha, Qatar: Ambassador of the EU to Qatar H E Dr. Cristian Tudor has praised Qatar s hosting of the 13th EU GCC Economic Dialogue, noting that dialog...

Doha, Qatar: Ambassador of the EU to Qatar H E Dr. Cristian Tudor has praised Qatar’s hosting of the 13th EU-GCC Economic Dialogue, noting that dialogues are the appropriate way to promote strategic relations between the EU and the GCC states and enhance cooperation between the two peoples.

“The first summit at the leaders’ level between the State of Qatar and the European Union is due in October in Brussels under the presidency of Qatar ... It would lead to a new era, especially with the EU’s keenness to bolster bilateral relations,” he said while addressing the opening session of 13th GCC-EU Macroeconomic Dialogue.

“I believe that all these developments, all these dialogues are working in the right direction, which is upgrading relations between the European Union and the Gulf countries on a strategic level. I see without a doubt that holding of this summit will lead to the entry of a new era.

“I consider the Gulf and Arab countries and the Gulf region to be the powerhouse of the world. I think that the European Union is very interested in strengthening and upgrading relations, and I wish you a rich dialogue, because I think that economic dialogue helps to strengthen cooperation between peoples; peoples of the European Union and peoples of the Gulf countries.”

Director of International Economic, Financial Relations and Global Governance (ECFIN) Annika Eriksgaard highlighted the importance of EU-GCC economic dialogue, especially with the increasing international challenges such as the increasing fragmentation of global trade, complex geopolitical and economic situation that generally affects global growth, including the war on Gaza, the Russian-Ukrainian crisis and their impact on the Red Sea trade route, global tourism, and energy availability.