"Good evening everyone and Ramadan Kareem. 

I am happy to welcome you all at the EU Ghabqa, which for the first time I am hosting here at the EU Residence. Before I begin my words, I would like to thank each one of you for your excellent cooperation with the EU Delegation in Kuwait and for your coverage of the EU-Kuwait relations and EU-related news throughout the year.

I would like to first extend my warmest Ramadan greetings to HH the Emir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah, the Kuwaiti Government and the people of Kuwait. 

In these difficult times in the world, the European Union appreciates Kuwait as a close and reliable friend. And our message to the Kuwaiti leadership and the Kuwaiti government is very clear: you can rely on the European Union. This year is significantly important in our relations, as Kuwait will be hosting the next EU-GCC Ministerial meeting later in the year. I would like here to congratulate Kuwait on assuming the rotating presidency of the GCC this 2025. The EU is eager to work with Kuwait in advancing EU-GCC relations during the Kuwaiti presidency. 

The EU and Kuwait have a strong friendship based on shared interests, including Kuwait’s genuine support to multilateralism and the principles of good international cooperation, The EU appreciates Kuwait’s voice of common sense and moderation. I see a positive potential in our relations, there is much more we can do together bilaterally, regionally and at the global level.

For instance, The European Union and Kuwait are both strong humanitarian actors and share a strong interest in supporting vulnerable populations around the world, in support and cooperation with the UN system and multilateral organizations. Kuwait has been a key partner for the European Union in the humanitarian and development fields. Last month, the European Commission’s Director General for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations Mr. Maciej Popowski visited Kuwait. During his meetings with Kuwaiti officials, both the EU and Kuwait agreed to continue working together in humanitarian crisis contexts and promote multilateralism. 

The EU is also Kuwait's second-largest trade partner, which reflects our strong economic ties. There are ongoing dialogues and initiatives aimed at enhancing trade and investment opportunities. For instance, the EU just launched the second phase of the EU-GCC Economic Diversification Project, which aims to consolidate the EU’s status as a partner of choice for GCC countries including Kuwait for economic, trade and investments cooperation. As part of these efforts, I would like to mention that the next edition of the annual EU-GCC Business Forum will take place in Kuwait towards the end of 2025. 

Another area of cooperation between the EU and Kuwait is inter-cultural cooperation, students’ exchange, higher education cooperation, women empowerment and people-to-people contacts, which improve mutual understanding and trust between our peoples. In that sense, facilitating Schengen visa requirements for Kuwaiti nationals is also one of my priorities. I’m also delighted by the fact that Kuwait has become the Arab Capital of Culture and Media this 2025. Europe and Kuwait enjoy very strong and solid cultural connections across many fields including architecture, education, food, music, languages, cinema, literature, or theatre. 

We are also planning to hold our Europe Month activities together with EU Member States embassies during the month of May. As part of these many events planned, we will host a reception on 6th May to mark Europe Day. 

This ghabqa comes at a critical moment for the multilateral and rules-based order, as relations between some powers are becoming increasingly confrontational and unilateralist. Some global powers are putting forward competing visions and agendas about the global order, which challenge established multilateral rules and organisations. For us at the European Union, we know very well from our own history where this leads. We have suffered ourselves centuries of competitions between powers, which have led to two world wars and some of the most horrific acts ever committed by humankind. 

 The Europeans realised that cooperation and mutual trust was the only way forward. This belief led to the formation of the European Union, which is a peace project deeply rooted in multilateralism and adherence to the UN Charter, and earned it the Nobel Peace Prize in 2012. Sadly, Gaza and Ukraine still remind us these days how much the international community needs an efficient multilateral system, founded on universal rules and values that are respected by all. 

Respect for the UN Charter, the rules-based international order and international law has never been so much at stake as in current times. As the President of the European Council Antonio Costa said last week at the Arab League Summit in Cairo, the EU firmly rejects any attempt at demographic and territorial changes in Gaza. The European Union welcomes the Arab plan on Gaza. We believe that it is important that it covers all strands—reconstruction, governance and security. The European Union is ready to provide concrete support for the plan. 

Furthermore, the EU supports a political path that builds on the Arab Peace Initiative, and we have been working together with the League of Arab States, the OIC and some Arab countries in the framework of the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State solution. The European Union is supporting these objectives through the deployment of the EU mission at the Rafah crossing point (EUBAM), and by supporting the Palestinian Authority, which has to play a crucial role in the governance of Gaza. We must also support the action of UNRWA. Since 2024, the European Commission has significantly increased its humanitarian assistance to Palestine, and the European Union and its member states remain the top donor to the Palestinian people.

International law and rules-based order is also under threat in Ukraine. Russia violated Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity by annexing Crimea in 2014 and launching a full-scale invasion in 2022. This unprovoked aggression threatens not only Ukraine, but sets a delicate precedent that could make this changing world a more dangerous place. Kuwait has also been the victim of a war of aggression in 1990 and therefore it has always expressed its unwavering support to Ukraine’s independence and territorial integrity. We believe that any peace for Ukraine must be just, sustainable and with security guarantees for Ukraine and Europe. And of course any deal about Ukraine and Europe must also involve and be accepted by Ukrainians and Europeans. Ukraine and Europe seek peace, but for any peace to last, Ukraine should be given solid guarantees that such a war will never happen again.

In the recent days, we have seen some concerning developments in Syria. The European Union strongly condemns the recent attacks on interim government forces in the coastal areas of Syria and all violence against civilians. Civilians have to be protected in all circumstances in full respect of international humanitarian law. The EU also calls on all external actors to fully respect the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of Syria. We believe that Syria has a historic opportunity to reunite and rebuild the country under an inclusive and Syrian-led political process. The EU is organizing the next Syria Conference on 17 March in Brussels, and we look forward to the high-level participation from Kuwait.  I would like to avail of this opportunity to remind that, from 2013 to 2015, Kuwait hosted the first three international donor conferences for Syria, playing a crucial role in rallying financial and humanitarian assistance. It is also worth mentioning that the European Council also decided to suspend on 26 February sanctions on energy, banking and transport in Syria

In closing, I would like to wish all of you a blessed Holy Month of Ramadan."