BRUSSELS: The EU on Thursday said it had postponed a summit with Gulf states that was due to be held in Saudi Arabia on October 24, as attacks by Houthis have increased security concerns in the country.
The EU did not detail the reason for the postponement, and only said a new date would be announced “in due course.” The postponement is a further blow to Saudi Arabia’s effort to host global events despite the escalating war with the Houthis.
The EU had partly intended the summit to show solidarity with Gulf states and Saudi Arabia amid the war, and the decision to scrap it underlines just how serious the situation is. Last weekend, 13 people were killed and hundreds wounded in strikes on Riyadh’s international airport, in an attack claimed by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis.
The airport, where dignitaries had been supposed to land, remains closed after the attacks.
The EU said it still saw “great strategic importance” in the relationship between both regions and added it would remain committed to “deepening” the partnership.
GCC confirms postponement
Jassim Mohammed Al-Budaiwi, Secretary General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, in a statement confirmed the postponement of the event.
Al-Budaiwi said the continued attempts of the Houthis to target Saudi Arabia and its civilian infrastructure “threatens the security and safety of innocent civilians.”
He added the two blocs agreed to work towards “creating the appropriate conditions for holding the summit, in a way that serves their long-term goals of strengthening and completing the cooperation process in many areas between the member states of the two organizations, and in a way that achieves growth and prosperity for their countries and peoples.”