GCC MPs emphasize support of diplomatic efforts to resolve Ukraine crisis

BRUSSELS, April 1 (KUNA) -- Several Members of Parliaments and Shura Councils in the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) stressed their support to the territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine and to ongoing efforts to resolve the Ukraine crisis by diplomatic and peaceful means.
"Kuwait is always supporting sovereignty and independence of territorial integrity of any sovereign state as we supported lately the sovereignty of Ukraine," said MP Obaid Al-Mutairi, chairman of legal and legislative affairs committee of the National Assembly of Kuwait.
He was speaking at an online debate organized by the Delegation for relations with the Arab Peninsula (DARP) in the European Parliament Thursday evening on the conflict in Ukraine and its impact on EU-GCC relations.
Al-Mutairi underlined Kuwait's full support to solve the Ukraine crisis by diplomatic means and noted that Kuwait is firmly on the side that any international conflict should be resolved in the most peaceful way and international laws should be applied in such cases.
The Kuwaiti lawmaker recalled that Kuwait had underwent a very difficult situation in the 1990's with the invasion by Iraq and added that for that reason Kuwait "has a very strict and clear situation about the ongoing conflict." On February 24, the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry issued a statement, saying that "the State of Kuwait stresses the importance of respecting Ukraine's independence and sovereignty and affirms its full support to international efforts aimed at calming situation, defusing escalation, promoting self-restraint and addressing international conflicts by peaceful means." Ibrahim bin Mahmoud Al-Nahas -- a member of the Saudi Shura Council - said, "Saudi Arabia stands for peaceful solutions all around the world." On the conflict between Russia and Ukraine the Saudi position is clear for the whole world, "We support actually a peaceful resolution," he stressed. The Saudi government indicated its willingness to mediate between Russia and Ukraine to contribute to international efforts to resolve the conflict, said Al-Nahas. The GCC position is always to support peaceful resolutions to conflicts, he added.
Yousef bin Ali Al-Khater, member of the Shura Council in Qatar, said the position of Qatar is to reject the use of violence to resolve issues and political differences between countries, and the need to resort to a political and diplomatic solution .
He noted the role of Qatar in mediation, which contributed to resolving a number of regional and international disputes, the latest of which was mediating between the United States and the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Al-Khater said that the Russian-Ukrainian crisis is a global crisis that will have its effects on global international relations, especially economic relations between countries, due to the halting or stumbling of exports and imports from the two big countries.
Sara Falaknaz, parliamentarian from the UAE, said her country has called for an immediate ceasefire and fully supports all mediation efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict peacefully.
"We in the UAE support the sovereignty of the state of states," she said and underlined the importance of all parties complying with international humanitarian law especially to protect civilians adding, "We call for an immediate ceasefire and peaceful solution." On her part, Hannah Neumann chair of DARP, in her introductory remarks said, "European partnership with the Gulf countries should not suffer from this unwanted conflict." She noted that all six GCC countries and Yemen voted in favor of the UN General Assembly resolution against the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
"Europe is a traditional partner of the GCC," said the German MEP and called for further improvement in the relation between the two blocs.
"I count on your support on being clear against Russian aggression and in implementing the sanctions that the EU has imposed on Russia," she said.
Neumann commented that Kuwait was one of the countries that knows best what this kind of invasion means for the people of a country, and said she greatly appreciated the contribution of the Kuwaiti MP Al-Mutairi.
She congratulated Muslims on the advent of the fasting month of Ramadhan and hoped that peace will hold in the region.
Zuzana Michalcova Sutiakova, acting head of division for Arabian peninsula, Iran, Iraq at the EU's diplomatic service, known as the EU external action service (EEAS) , expressed her appreciation for the support of all the Gulf countries to the UNGA resolution that called for an immediate stop of hostilities between Ukraine and Russia.
Brussels-based ambassadors to the EU from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Yemen also addressed the online debate, while a number of MEPS in their intervention referred to the food security, energy and sanctions issues caused by the Ukraine crisis.
The GCC includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE. (end) nk.gta