High Representative/Vice-President Borrell concludes his visit to Qatar, UAE and Saudi Arabia | EU Commission Press

On Monday, High Representative/Vice-President for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, concluded his first mission to the Gulf region, during which he visited visiting Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. In Qatar, he met, among others, with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and discussed about current challenges, especially on Afghanistan and the key role played by Qatar in the evacuations and the safe delivery of humanitarian support. The High Representative also announced the opening next year of an EU Delegation in Doha, as well as the signature of a bilateral Agreement on Civil Aviation. In the United Arab Emirates, High Representative Borrell met with Deputy Prime Minister, Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Interior and International Cooperation, with whom he discussed on the EU-UAE partnership, security challenges and climate action. Josep Borrell also stressed EU’s readiness to support the UAE’s domestic transformation and economic diversification. This includes Dubai EXPO, where the High Representative visited several EU Member States pavilions, focused on sustainability, mobility and inclusivity. While in Abu Dhabi, the High Representative participated in the 2021 World Policy Conference on Global Governance as one of the main speakers. In the margins of the event, he held meetings, including with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, with whom he discussed the upcoming Western Balkans Summit. In Saudi Arabia, High Representative Borrell started his programme by visiting the headquarters of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) where he discussed with Secretary General, Nayef bin Falah Al-Hajraf, on the need to keep working together on regional stability. He then held bilateral talks with Saudi Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Energy. The talks focused on bilateral relations, regional cooperation and global issues, such as green transition, climate change and energy transition. Human rights were also part of the discussions following the first Dialogue on Human Rights held in Brussels earlier that week. A Cooperation Arrangement to reinforce EU-Saudi ties was also signed. Finally, while in Riyadh, the High Representative held also two meetings on the ongoing conflict in Yemen with UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg and President of Yemen Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, stressing EU’s continuous support to the UN and others to achieve a ceasefire.