Minister wants visa exemption and a free trade agreement between the EU and the Gulf countries
The countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) may be key to preventing the escalation of the situation in the Middle East, and the European Union should strengthen ties with them, the minister of foreign affairs and trade said in Muscat on Tuesday.
Speaking after a meeting of foreign ministers of the EU and the GCC, Péter Szijjártó said Europe was facing serious security threats from the war in Ukraine in the east and migration in the south. Hungary’s geography makes it a subject to both types of pressure, he added. Migration is primarily caused by armed conflicts, wars and terrorism, but changes in global security also have an impact, he said. “If global security improves, the migration pressure on Europe eases,” he said. Europe has a vested interest in ending armed conflicts worldwide as soon as possible, he said.
Szijjártó condemned the terrorist attack on Israel and expressed his concerns regarding the conflict resulting in a large-scale humanitarian catastrophe. He lamented that the “peace dynamics” achieved by the Abraham Accords “will have to take a back seat now, and it will take hard work to prevent them from withering completely.” Szijjártó held talks with his Bahraini counterpart on Tuesday. “He also said we should do everything we can to preserve what remains from those achievements, or at least the hope that we can return to that road one day,” he said.
The minister also had talks with his Kuwaiti, Omani and Saudi counterparts, and Qatar’s state minister for foreign affairs. They agreed that the international community must focus on preventing escalation. The Gulf countries had an important role in stabilising the fragile Middle East earlier, and contributed to the closure of many a conflict, he said. “Let us hope they can play … the same role now,” he said. He called on the EU and the GCC to strengthen cooperation by closing important issues such as visa exemption and a free trade agreement.
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Szijjártó calls for international action to prevent escalation in Middle East
The international community should join forces to prevent escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Szijjártó said in Muscat on Tuesday. Speaking at a meeting of representatives of the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council, Szijjártó expressed the Hungarian government’s concern and called for a responsible approach, warning that developments could “easily lead to the gravest humanitarian disaster in history”. The minister said it was regrettable that the conflict had flared up “at the worst possible time”, when stabilisation was under way and the parties had taken significant steps towards peace. “Those achievements may now be ruined,” he added.
Sustainable peace in the Middle East, he said, was crucial, adding that GCC members could play an important role in preventing escalation. Intervention by the group had played “a positive and stabilising role in respect of a number of previous regional conflicts,” he added. The minister said he hoped the world could rely on their efforts towards a settlement that improved European security. Reinforcing cooperation between the EU and GCC “is needed now more than ever”, he said, and urged talks on such issues as lifting visa requirements and signing a free trade agreement with GCC members.
EU-GCC cooperation would be a vital tool in tackling humanitarian crises worldwide, Szijjártó said. “We all know that waves of migration are primarily triggered by armed conflicts, wars, and the mounting threat of terrorism,” he said, adding that “the global security situation has a direct impact on migratory pressure on the EU … whenever the world’s security is improves, pressure of migration on Europe eases; when the security situation deteriorates, it grows.” “That is why Europe is has an committed interest in settling armed conflicts in a peaceful way,” Szijjártó added.
To add some context to Mr. Szijjártó’s comments … Facts, if you will:
https://policy.trade.ec.europa.eu/eu-trade-relationships-country-and-region/countries-and-regions/gulf-region_en
“The EU and GCC launched negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in 1990. The FTA was meant to provide for the progressive and reciprocal liberalisation of trade in goods and services. However, negotiations were suspended in 2008 as they faced several challenges. In parallel with the negotiations, the prospective EU-GCC FTA was subject to a sustainability impact assessment.”
Reading the full Co-Chairs’ Statement of the 27th GCC-EU Joint Council and Ministerial Meeting may also be illuminating:
https://www.consilium.europa.eu/de/press/press-releases/2023/10/10/co-chairs-statement-of-the-27th-gcc-eu-joint-council-and-ministerial-meeting/