New york: Ambassador Jamal Fares Al Rowaie, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the United Nations in New York, chaired a UN Security Council meeting on cooperation between the United Nations and the European Union, attended by Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission. During the meeting, Khaled Khiari, UN Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Europe and the Pacific, delivered a briefing on the existing frameworks of cooperation between the two organizations.
According to Bahrain News Agency, the Permanent Representative underscored Bahrain's strong commitment to enhancing cooperation between the Security Council and regional organizations, including the European Union. He noted that Bahrain has placed this approach among its key priorities during its membership on the Council, reflecting its belief in the importance of such partnerships in supporting international peace and security, strengthening multilateral action, improving crisis response, and advancing prevention efforts.
The Permanent Representative expressed appreciation to the European Union for its support of UN Security Council Resolution 2817, submitted by Bahrain regarding Iran's reprehensible attacks against the Kingdom of Bahrain and the GCC states. He noted that all EU member states joined the list of co-sponsors of the resolution, bringing the total number of co-sponsoring countries to 136, which reflects the EU's collective solidarity with Bahrain and other states affected by Iran's unlawful attacks. He also welcomed the growing momentum in Gulf-European relations, including the convening of the first GCC-EU Summit in Brussels in 2024.
Ambassador Al Rowaie further commended the European Union's role in promoting international peace and security in line with the purposes and principles of the United Nations. He highlighted the EU's contributions to maritime security, including efforts to safeguard freedom of navigation in the Red Sea through Operation "Aspides," as well as its continued work to enforce the arms embargo on Libya in the Mediterranean through Operation "Irini." He also noted the European Union's constructive humanitarian role through financial, humanitarian and development assistance, emergency aid, and support for vulnerable populations. In addition, he highlighted EU cooperation with the United Nations on a range of initiatives, including efforts aimed at strengthening peace and stability between Serbia and Kosovo.
The Permanent Representative concluded by emphasising the importance of holding annual meetings between the Security Council and regional organisations to enhance coordination, strengthen strategic consultations, exchange assessments, and support a more effective collective response to regional and international crises.