Gulf-Arab Meeting to Focus on Syria’s Return to Arab League

Syrians walk in Damascus' al-Hamidiyah souk on the second day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on June 7, 2016. (AFP)
Syrians walk in Damascus' al-Hamidiyah souk on the second day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on June 7, 2016. (AFP)
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Gulf-Arab Meeting to Focus on Syria’s Return to Arab League

Syrians walk in Damascus' al-Hamidiyah souk on the second day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on June 7, 2016. (AFP)
Syrians walk in Damascus' al-Hamidiyah souk on the second day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on June 7, 2016. (AFP)

The General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has called for a meeting to discuss the possibility of restoring Syria’s membership in the Arab League.

The meeting will be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, reported AFP.

Qatar foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani will take part in the meeting, which will also be attended by members of the GCC, as well as Iraq, Jordan and Egypt.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah had spoken in March of the possibility of developing talks with Syria and its potential return to the Arab League.

“More talks with the Syrian regime may pave the way for its return to the Arab League after a ten-year isolation,” he remarked.

Saudi Arabia and Syria are holding talks about resuming consular services after these ten years. Riyadh shut its embassy in Damascus shortly after the regime brutally started to crack down on peaceful protesters.

The Arab League also suspended Syria’s membership over the crackdown.

More and more discussions are being held among Arab countries about Syria’s return.

Restoring its membership requires consensus, which has not been reached yet. Three Arab countries have not yet expressed their position on its return and the issue will be discussed on Friday.



Gulf, EU Leaders Meet for First Summit against Background of Mideast Turmoil

European Council President Charles Michel, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Saudi Arabia Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud pose during an official welcome ceremony on the day of the joint European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit, in Brussels Belgium October 16, 2024. (Reuters)
European Council President Charles Michel, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Saudi Arabia Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud pose during an official welcome ceremony on the day of the joint European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit, in Brussels Belgium October 16, 2024. (Reuters)
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Gulf, EU Leaders Meet for First Summit against Background of Mideast Turmoil

European Council President Charles Michel, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Saudi Arabia Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud pose during an official welcome ceremony on the day of the joint European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit, in Brussels Belgium October 16, 2024. (Reuters)
European Council President Charles Michel, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Saudi Arabia Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud pose during an official welcome ceremony on the day of the joint European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit, in Brussels Belgium October 16, 2024. (Reuters)

The leaders of six Gulf nations and European Union met for an inaugural summit on Wednesday against a backdrop of turmoil in the Middle East and struggles to find a unified position on the war in Ukraine and relations with Russia.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, led Saudi Arabia’s delegation to the meeting in Brussels.

The summit was expected to encompass everything from visas and trade to the situation in the Middle East.

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said the summit was “long overdue” and added that “the economic ties between the European Union and the Gulf countries need to be strengthened."

“They are there, but they have the potential to be developed much, much further,” he said.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stressed that “to be strategic partners means to listen to each other, to respect each other, to trust each other.”

She also highlighted the need for cooperation on pressing geopolitical issues like the war in Ukraine and that of Israel against Hamas and Hezbollah groups.

“We cannot implement our economic ambitions without security,” she said.

The 27-nation EU has long had relations with the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, which include Qatar, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Kuwait.