Arab and European officials and academics noted a significant improvement in the Gulf-European strategic relations, especially on security and energy, as well as efforts to strengthen bilateral coordination through continuous and in-depth political dialogues.
Despite the hopes and aspirations set by the leaders of the Gulf and the European Union to push these relations to higher levels, officials and experts pointed to many challenges at the executive levels.
Dr. Abdulaziz Alawaisheg, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs and Negotiations of the Gulf Cooperation Council, said that the relations between the GCC and the EU were witnessing positive developments, especially in the fields of security and energy.
Alawaisheg was speaking in a video conference held by the Jeddah-based Gulf Research Center, which discussed relations between the GCC and the EU, a year after the signing of the strategic partnership agreement between the two sides.
“We agreed on 12 issues within the framework of this partnership... For the first time, we see Europe and the Gulf countries talking about energy security clearly,” he said.
The Gulf official added that the two sides agreed to “have frank discussions about the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons,” noting that the European Union has become “more realistic.”
The assistant GCC secretary-general pointed to “a strong commitment by the Gulf States and the European Union to implement this partnership,” noting however, that its interpretation would be difficult at the executive level.
For her part, Birgit Loeser, head of the European Union’s Regional and African Affairs Department, emphasized EU’s keenness to develop a partnership with the GCC.
“We strongly believe in the importance of regional organizations, as they help build the international system that we want to be stronger,” she stated.
In turn, Dr. Haila Al-Makimi, professor of Political Science at Kuwait University, spoke about a set of important principles that must be available in the strategic partnership document, and the necessity to understand the general atmosphere in the GCC and the EU, while taking into consideration major regional developments, including the Saudi-Iranian agreement.
Sylvia Colombo, a researcher and consultant at the NATO Defense College, pointed to three structural problems between the two sides: the first is represented by prioritizing economic cooperation and trade liberalization at the expense of political issues and human rights, while the second obstacle is the promotion of bilateral relations over institutional ties between the two organizations.
“The third obstacle is working with governments and official bodies at the expense of more public engagement with other sectors of civil society, business, and youth and women stakeholders, which has slowed the movement towards more sustainable cooperation,” she said.
