Qatar and the European Union have affirmed their commitment to jointly promote peace and sustainable solutions to conflicts in the first high-level meeting between Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the European External Action Service (EEAS), held in Brussels.

The meeting was chaired by Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs His Excellency Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi and EEAS Secretary-General Helga Schmid.

The meeting marked the beginning of the implementation of the co-operation arrangements signed in March 2018 during His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani’s official visit to Brussels.

الاجتماع المشترك بين وزارة الخارجية وخدمة العمل الخارجي الأوروبي يطلق تنفيذ ترتيبات التعاون التي تم التوقيع عليها في مارس 2018 خلال الزيارة الرسمية لسمو أمير البلاد المفدى إلى بروكسل، ويهدف ترتيب التعاون إلى إقامة إطار لتبادل وجهات النظر حول القضايا واستكشاف مجالات التعاون.#قنا

— وكالة الأنباء القطرية (@QatarNewsAgency) July 6, 2019

The arrangement will see the development of a framework to exchange views on issues of common interest and to determine areas of further Qatar-EU collaboration.

The high-level meeting focused on reviewing bilateral relations between Qatar and the European Union and recent developments in the Gulf region. The Gulf crisis, which recently entered its third year, was also part of the discussions.

The two sides underlined the need to defuse tensions and avoid escalation, which will have a significant impact in the region and beyond.

The discussions also paid special attention to Yemen, the Middle East peace process, and the situation in the Horn of Africa, Syria, Afghanistan, Sudan, and Libya.

The two parties further hailed the outcome of the first meeting of the Working Group on Human Rights held in Doha in December. The second edition of the meeting will be held in Brussels before the end of the year.

الاجتماع المشترك بين وزارة الخارجية وخدمة العمل الخارجي الأوروبي في بروكسل يؤكد أن المشاورات السياسية عالية المستوى ركزت على العلاقات الثنائية بين دولة قطر والاتحاد الأوروبي والتطورات الأخيرة في منطقة الخليج، بما في ذلك الأزمة الخليجية التي دخلت عامها الثالث.#قنا

— وكالة الأنباء القطرية (@QatarNewsAgency) July 6, 2019

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the EEAS stressed closer integration in the areas of security and counterterrorism, conflict prevention and mediation, development co-operation and humanitarian assistance in addition to economic and social issues.

The meeting also underlined the need for co-operation in several other areas, such as information exchange, combating terrorism and its funding and 
cybersecurity.

The meeting also underlined the need for co-operation in several other areas, such as information exchange, combating terrorism and its funding and 
cybersecurity.

The two sides intend to strengthen their security partnership and work together to combat terrorism and violent extremism.

Both sides were in accord to increase co-operation within existing multilateral forums such as the International Counter-Terrorism Forum and the Global Fund to Support the Participation and Sustainability of Communities.

In this regard, HE Sultan bin Saad al-Muraikhi, and Helga Schmid welcomed Qatar’s commitment to providing 66.5mn euros over five years to support the UN Office for Counter-Terrorism.

The second high-level meeting of senior officials will most likely be in Qatar in 2020.

Earlier this year, Qatar also inked a landmark agreement with the EU, becoming the first in the Gulf region to do so. 

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Cover Image Credit: QNA