BRUSSELS — The European Council said on Thursday that the second summit between the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council, planned for Oct. 24 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has been postponed.
A new date will be announced in due course, the Council said in its press release.
The Council said the partnership between the EU and the GCC is of great strategic importance to both regions. It said the EU remains committed to deepening that partnership and to sustaining the momentum built since the first summit in October 2024.
The Council’s release gave no reason for the postponement. Reuters reported that the decision came as attacks by Yemen’s Houthis have increased security concerns in Saudi Arabia.
Reuters also reported that 13 people were killed and hundreds were wounded last weekend in strikes on Riyadh’s international airport, in an attack claimed by the Houthis, and that the airport remains closed.
According to Reuters, the summit had been intended in part to show solidarity with Gulf states and Saudi Arabia amid the war. No new date was given in the Council’s release.
