Europe remains on course for peace, prosperity and security

Europe Day, which is celebrated on May 9, marks the founding of the EU, a project for peace, unity and prosperity that we Europeans value highly and are immensely proud of. We are keen to share this celebration with our partners across the world. We invite our friends and partners, the people of Saudi Arabia, to celebrate this milestone together with us.
The year that has passed since the celebration in 2021 has been full of important developments and achievements. In October 2021, the Kingdom hosted Josep Borell, the high representative of the EU for foreign affairs and security policy and vice president of the European Commission. During the visit, the Cooperation Arrangement between the EU and Saudi Arabia was signed, laying the foundations for deeper and broader engagement.
The EU and Saudi Arabia have had fruitful exchanges and laid out initiatives to strengthen cooperation in trade and investment, climate change, culture, education, human rights and many other areas. We are keen to support Vision 2030 and to contribute to its implementation where we can. We hosted Prince Faisal bin Farhan, minister of foreign affairs of Saudi Arabia, together with his Gulf colleagues in Brussels. We cooperated closely on fighting the pandemic and we saw our societies finally resume their normal rhythm of life and gear up for economic growth. The pandemic shows signs of fading, even though it is too early to fully celebrate its end.
Throughout the year, we conducted a dialogue with Saudi Arabia on regional security. We strongly condemned the attacks against the territory of Saudi Arabia and we welcomed the developments giving hope of an end to the conflict in neighboring Yemen. We discussed how to strengthen peace and stability in the Gulf, Middle East and Africa.
Unfortunately, our celebration this year is overshadowed by the completely unjustified and unprovoked war conducted by Russia against Ukraine. There is no issue that this war can address and resolve. Overnight, it has stopped normal life in a vibrant, developing and flourishing country. It has, in a short period of time, caused the deaths of tens of thousands of people and millions more have had to flee their homes. There is no place in the 21st century for such a conflict anywhere in the world. Europe has stood for stability and peace across the world and we now stand firm to assist Ukraine in its efforts to defend itself and to stop the aggression. We stand for the principle that every nation, including Ukraine, can themselves, independently, make their domestic and foreign policy choices.

Saudi Arabia and the EU have laid out initiatives to strengthen cooperation in trade and investment, climate change, culture, education and many other areas.

Patrick Simonnet

The international community has — notably on three occasions so far through the UN General Assembly — sent clear messages rejecting an invasion that contradicts the core principles of international coexistence as reflected in the UN Charter itself: The equal sovereignty of states, the peaceful solution of conflicts and the ban on the use of force in international relations. What is at stake, fundamentally, is the protection of weaker states from more powerful ones that could prey on them. We have to preserve the core principles of our international order.
We appreciate the understanding of the Gulf countries that have clearly expressed that they do not welcome this war and are looking forward to the restoration of peace. It is clear that we have to work hand in hand to counter the repercussions of this war and its negative impact on the global economy, food prices and critical supplies.
The common feature between military conflicts is that the use of force, loss of life and human suffering are unacceptable and must be avoided. The EU has worked hard to address and help resolve conflicts in its neighboring regions, the Middle East, Africa and beyond. It may happen that the international community has not been able to prevent war or suffering. Some conflicts slowly burn for decades. However, this cannot divert attention from the blatant aggression that has now disrupted peaceful life in Europe. We are grateful for solidarity and support from our partners, as we have been willing to provide ourselves on such occasions. We have always had a principled position regarding conflict, calling for the respect of international law and the UN Charter and opposing the use of force.
Even in these difficult times, we should not forget about our achievements. The EU, whose motto is “Unity in Diversity,” is now rich in terms of 27 member states, 24 different official languages and 448 million inhabitants. The EU is based on the firm belief that European countries are stronger together when it comes to maintaining peace in Europe and around the world, while also dealing with all the societal challenges we face on our planet.
The EU is the world’s second-largest economy. We are the largest global market and the leading foreign investor in most parts of the globe. We invest more in development cooperation and humanitarian aid than the rest of the world combined. The EU is increasingly active as a global security provider. The EU will continue to put promoting international peace and security, development cooperation, human rights and responding to humanitarian crises at the heart of its foreign and security policies.
On this basis, we look forward to enhancing our already strong relations with Saudi Arabia.
Happy Europe Day.

• Patrick Simonnet is EU Ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
Twitter: @eusimonpa