Today the Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Maria Tripodi, participated – in Kuwait City – in the 29th Joint Committee and Ministerial Meeting between the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), co-chaired by the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, and the Kuwaiti Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya, current President of the GCC.
The meeting provided an opportunity for a broad discussion on key regional issues and to assess the progress made since the first EU-GCC Leaders’ Summit, held in Brussels last year. Discussions focused – in particular – on political cooperation, regional security, economic transitions and common global challenges.
Undersecretary Tripodi said: “The pacification of Gaza, together with stability in Syria and Lebanon, is an integral part of Italy’s vision for a new architecture of peace and security in the Middle East, in which the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council have a crucial role to play.’ In her speech, the Undersecretary emphasised the need to support stability in Syria, preventing new tensions and promoting a truly inclusive political transition, while respecting the country’s sovereignty, and in Lebanon, stressing that the priority remains the strengthening of institutions and the armed forces that are essential conditions for the country’s security and development.
