Foreign Minister and president of the current session of the GCC Ministerial Council Dr Abdullatif Al Zayani chaired GCC delegation at the third GCC-EU High-Level Forum on Regional Security and Co-operation in Brussels. The forum brought together representatives of the GCC member states, EU foreign ministers and their representatives.
Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and vice president of the European Commission, chaired the European side. The forum was also attended by GCC secretary general Jasem Mohamed Al Budaiwi and Luigi Di Maio, EU Special Representative for the Gulf.
Dr Al Zayani highlighted the continued Iranian attacks against GCC member states and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, noting European condemnation of those attacks and reaffirming that deliberate attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are unjustifiable. He also welcomed the International Maritime Organisation Council’s condemnation of attempts to impose control over the Strait of Hormuz.
Dr Al Zayani reaffirmed Bahrain’s commitment to working with the European Union to uphold international law, ensure Iran’s compliance with its international obligations, and safeguard freedom of navigation in international waterways.
The forum was attended by Dr Mohammed Ali Behzad, Ambassador to Belgium and head of Mission to the European Union.
On the sidelines of the forum, Dr Al Zayani separately met Yvette Cooper, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the UK, Dr Johann Wadephul, Germany’s Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs, and several European leaders and reviewed relations and ways to strengthen cooperation.
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