Jassim Al-Budaiwi, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, stressed on Monday that the unprecedented escalation the region is witnessing requires concerted regional and international efforts to enhance security and stability, proposing six priorities for developing relations with Europe towards true integration.

This came during his participation in the 'Regional Security Forum' in the Belgian capital Brussels, which discussed enhancing security and strategic cooperation between the Gulf states and the European Union, and efforts to establish the foundations of international peace and security.

The forum was attended, on behalf of Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs, by his deputy, Engineer Waleed Al-Khuraiji, in the presence of Dr. Abdullatif Al-Zayani, Bahrain's Minister of Foreign Affairs - current chair of the GCC Ministerial Council - and Kaja Kallas, the European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission.

Engineer Waleed Al-Khuraiji shaking hands with Kaja Kallas during his attendance at the Regional Security Forum in Brussels (Saudi Foreign Ministry)

Al-Budaiwi emphasized in his speech the utmost importance of the forum being held at a time when Iran continues to choose escalation over diplomacy and dialogue, affirming that the Gulf states support the path of dialogue and diplomacy, and look forward to discussing with the European side how to engage in sincere consultation and close coordination in dealing with Iran's dangerous behavior towards the region.

The Secretary-General of the Council indicated that the time has come for the Gulf-European strategic partnership to take a new path, based on the foundation laid in 1988, especially given the challenges of recent months.

Al-Budaiwi explained that 'the Iranian attacks on oil facilities in the Gulf states and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz have led to a global slowdown, as the International Monetary Fund lowered its global growth forecast for 2026 to 3.1 percent.'

The Secretary-General added that 'the Fund clarified that this reduction is due to the war and disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world's oil normally passes, and its effects have spread across Europe, which has experienced an energy shock for the second time in four years.'

The Regional Security Forum discussed enhancing security and strategic cooperation between the Gulf states and the European Union (Saudi Foreign Ministry)

Al-Budaiwi explained that this regional shock has turned into a global shock, with its effects impacting the economies of the Gulf and Europe, stressing that the new threats generated by the war necessitate a re-strengthening of the relationship between the two sides, allowing us to respond jointly rather than individually.

The Secretary-General proposed six priorities for strengthening Gulf-European relations: coordinated political and diplomatic action, cooperation in the fields of 'regional security and energy', interconnection by accelerating work on trade corridors and alternative routes, drawing lessons from the current crisis, and people-to-people communication while accelerating visa-free mobility as a practical foundation for communication.

Al-Budaiwi concluded his speech by noting that the partnership with Europe must extend beyond security towards true integration, 'a partnership that makes our peoples safer and our economies more resilient and stable.'