Saudi minister, EU ambassador hold talks in Riyadh

The Kingdom’s deputy minister for international multilateral affairs has held talks with the EU’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

Envoy Christophe Farnaud said he visited Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Rassi at his office in Riyadh on Monday, where they discussed relations and security cooperation.

“Both parties praised the positive relationship between the EU and Saudi Arabia,” the ambassador told Arab News on Wednesday.

“The positive momentum is highlighted by the pace of high-level visits, in particular of the EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Josep Borrell to Riyadh and AlUla last week.”

Farnaud said they also discussed the relaunch of the EU-GCC partnership.

“The EU has initiated work on enhanced security cooperation with the planned Structured GCC-EU Regional Security Dialogue in Riyadh on Jan. 24,” he said.

The officials also discussed the Israel-Hamas war, including cooperative efforts made by the EU and Saudi Arabia to protect civilians and provide humanitarian aid.

The Foreign Ministry said on X the two men discussed “relations between the Kingdom and the European Union and developments of mutual concern.”

Last week, Mohammed Al-Budaiwi, secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, met Borrell in Riyadh to discuss the latest developments in Israel’s war on Gaza.

The two sides reviewed ways to strengthen international and regional efforts to reach a ceasefire and end the humanitarian crisis in the occupied territory.

They also discussed ways to develop collaboration between the GCC and the EU in various fields and emphasized the importance of collective action in tackling challenges.