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RIYADH: On his first trip to Saudi Arabia since being appointed the first EU special representative for the Gulf region, Luigi Di Maio has told Arab News that recent world events show that new collaborations are needed.
He was responding to the question whether European nations can afford to ignore the rise of the GCC and Arab Gulf states in a multipolar world.
“I think that the world is changing and there are new partnerships to build,” Di Maio said during an interview on Thursday that touched on topics ranging from the Russia-Ukraine conflict to the economic empowerment of women and young people in the Kingdom.
“There are old partnerships that we built during the last decades. But we are in a period where everything is changing, because of the terrible Russian aggression against Ukraine, because of the pandemic.
“And you (Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states) are taking some initiatives in the region that are very interesting for us and are very welcoming if they are oriented to de-escalation. So, I think that it’s not a question of ignoring or considering, but we have to work together.”
Di Maio, who took on his new brief on June 1, said the creation of his role should eliminate all doubt about the EU’s intention to deepen ties with the Gulf region.
“That the EU and the 27 EU member states appointed for the first time an EU special representative for the Gulf region is proof of our new ambition to take our work together to a new strategic level. And when I say ‘partnership,’ I mean a real partnership based on dialogue, respect and results,” he said.
Asked whether the decision to create the office of the EU special representative for the Gulf region had been accelerated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent global energy crisis, Di Maio said the move predated the conflict, and instead reflected the EU’s genuine interest in fostering closer bilateral ties.
“We started the negotiation and the creation of the joint communication before the Russian aggression on Ukraine,” he said.
“I was still a minister at the time. And I remember the process. The idea was the importance that you have at multilateral and bilateral level, and how the EU can do more in order to update the level of the partnership.
“Then the Russian aggression arrived. And I think it was a very good thing to approve the joint communication and to work on the appointment of the EUSR, because in a period where at the multilateral and bilateral level is changing everything in the geopolitical framework, it’s very important to be closer to our partners, our strategic partners.”
Di Maio began his Riyadh visit with a meeting with Jasem Albudaiwi, secretary-general of the GCC, where the parties concerned “advanced preparations for a fruitful upcoming EU-GCC Council on October 10 (in Oman) — a key milestone for implementing our strategic partnership.”
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