His Excellency Mr Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), received His Excellency Mr Luigi Di Maio, the European Union (EU) Special Representative for the Gulf Region, today, Wednesday, March 18, 2026, at the General Secretariat’s headquarters in Riyadh.
During the meeting, the two sides discussed the grave Iranian attacks on the GCC states, which constitute a blatant threat to regional and international security. These attacks have resulted in loss of life as well as material damage, posing a direct threat to the security, safety, and lives of civilians.
His Excellency reaffirmed the provisions of the joint statement issued by the GCC-EU Joint Ministerial Meeting regarding the Iranian attacks on Council states. He emphasised the critical importance of maintaining the integrity of regional airspace, sea lanes, and the freedom of navigation—including the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb—to ensure the security of supply chains and the stability of global energy markets.
For his part, the EU Special Representative for the Gulf region expressed the solidarity of EU member states with the GCC. He strongly denounced the repeated Iranian aggressions against the Council states and their negative impact on the security and stability of the region.