EU to Gulf countries: “More firmness against Putin”. Arab world: “Recognize Palestine”

Brussels – On the one hand, a call for a firmer response to Russian military manoeuvres in Ukraine; on the other hand, a call to do more for Palestine and the Palestinian cause. European Union and Arab Gulf countries try to strengthen their relations, but on the political level, the first approach shows distance and difficulty understanding each other. It is a dialogue to be built, of course, but it begins under the banner of glossed-over demands. The chairwoman of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, urges non-European partners to consider a change of course toward Moscow. “Russia’s aggression here in Europe is very much felt, and I know how important the concept of sovereignty is for you as well,” she premised to representatives of Arab countries, “The conflicts around us require a prompt response.”

Von der Leyen touches on a crucial issue for the EU: unconditional support for Ukraine and the need to corner Russian President Vladimir Putin. Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates have supported the UN General Assembly resolution condemning Russian aggression, but doing business with Moscow is something that generates ill feelings in the Twenty-Seven, who receive for-the-occasion pledges and a very evasive response.

“We recognise the UN charter, and we are therefore for the defence of territorial integrity,” says Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. “The Gulf countries council supports anyone who seeks a peaceful solution to the conflict,” he adds, but without specifying the conditions for peace between Russia and Ukraine—evasive statements compounded by the Persian Gulf bloc’s political demand to the EU: to recognise Palestine.

“I thank all those who recognise Palestine as a state and call on others to do the same,” the Qatari leader says. Words that serve as a reminder to the Europe of states how, net of the Old Continent’s commitments and proclamations, the underlying hypocrisy perceived in the Persian Gulf lurks in the contradiction between those who say they want a two-state solution and those— more than half of the 27— who have not yet recognised Palestine as a state.

It’s not a dialogue between deaf people, far from it. Two distant worlds seeking a rapprochement, not an easy one, made up of priorities and sensibilities that differ in culture, history, and geography. It will not be simple, and in Brussels, where the first summit of its kind is being hosted, they know it well. Von der Leyen is aware of the magnitude of the first EU-Gulf States summit. “Your presence is historic,” a sign that today “we see each other as strategic partners.” However, she adds, “To be strategic partners, we must listen to each other, commit to a different future, trust.” Trust is to be found and built. That is the real challenge; the premises are not the most encouraging.

Europe insists on Putin, and the Gulf Arab countries respond with the Israeli-Palestinian issue and the implicit demand to recalibrate the political weight more on the Arab side and less on the Israeli one. For the secretary general of the Cooperation Council of the Gulf Arab Countries, Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, “the future of our cooperation is promising.”  However, the debut seems to suggest, if not the exact opposite, at any rate, a somewhat circuitous route.