Why Did the EU Appoint a Gulf Envoy Now?

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00:00You're the first special representative for the Gulf region.

00:03Why now?

00:05Why did the bloc feel that this is a uniquely important time,

00:09that it needs to have a designated focus on the Gulf?

00:14Thank you for this question, because it's the base of my job, in a way.

00:18We started in 2020, around 2020,

00:21to realise that this region was becoming more and more critical

00:25for our interest in terms of multilateralism,

00:29in terms of making stability around the world

00:32and making the stability of the Middle East,

00:34because the security of this region is our security.

00:36So we decided in 2021 to collect a new strategy to the GCC in particular,

00:44but to the wider Gulf region.

00:47And in 2022, we approved it just in the days when Russia invaded Ukraine.

00:53And it was very timely, because these countries

00:56became more and more, during those days and beyond,

01:01strategic partners, even for managing the crisis in Ukraine.

01:07And not only for fossil fuels.

01:09They are very instrumental to the exchange of prisoners

01:12between Russia and Ukraine, and so on.

01:13So today, this mandate has five pillars.

01:17Trade, energy, regional security, people-to-people, institutions.

01:22And just one year ago, we organised the first-ever summit of our leaders,

01:2727 European leaders, 60 leaders from GCC,

01:30in Brussels, at the presence of His Highness,

01:33the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, and many others.

01:35And it was very important, the final statement,

01:38with common goals to achieve,

01:41in view of the next summit that will be in Saudi Arabia

01:43at the end of 2026.

01:45Thank you very much.