00:00The European Union is stepping up defense cooperation with Gulf countries, with a new forum planned in Doha next month.
00:07And despite growing tensions across the Middle East, the EU sees an opportunity to build stronger ties across the region.
00:14I sat down with the EU's new Ambassador to Qatar, Antonino Maggiore, to discuss what comes next.
00:22Ambassador Maggiore, thank you for joining us on Euronews.
00:25You've taken your post at a particularly challenging time.
00:28What are the biggest obstacles and opportunities to strengthening EU ties with Qatar and the GCC?
00:34What more can be done?
00:35I think every crisis brings opportunities.
00:42And this is exactly the moment, as you said, the moment where the region and also the country is experiencing
00:50challenges.
00:51And the opportunity is that I think there is a reciprocal wish of each other.
01:00The European Union, Qatar, the Gulf, GCC, the European Union.
01:06And this was very much confirmed by the project of a summit.
01:13As you know, the European Union, GCC, was planned for 24th of October.
01:18Unfortunately, it has been postponed.
01:20But what has not been postponed are the objectives and the sense.
01:24So I would see more opportunities, to be honest, now.
01:30And the challenges are the challenges that we all have of risk of instability and security-wise.
01:41But as a positive person, I say the good thing is that we are all together in this.
01:47As you mentioned, the EU has been looking to deepen ties with the Gulf nations.
01:51But the recent EU GCC summit has been postponed.
01:54Has that slowed things down, slowed down the progress?
01:57It's a missed opportunity that we have to postpone it.
02:02But there is no postponement of the urgency of strengthening the relations.
02:09And we are, in this very moment, working together with our Qatari friends on how we can nourish this wish
02:19to strengthen the partnership concretely.
02:23And so we are trying to see how, in these very days, we can compensate this postponement.
02:34And, for example, our European Union Special Representative for the Gulf, Luigi Di Maio, was here 10 days ago, exactly
02:41with that message.
02:42We don't want to postpone our wish to strengthen the partnership.
02:47And what are you hearing from your Qatari friends and your friends across the GCC as far as both sides
02:53are looking to strengthen the engagement?
02:55Well, my personal view, after two months in town, is that we already experience very strong diplomatic relations.
03:07The political dialogue is continuous, intense, and is based on shared values, shared objectives, shared views.
03:16I think where we can do more is on concrete projects of cooperation, so how we materialize this convergence at
03:32diplomatic level in concrete projects.
03:34And here we have, in line with the preparation of the summit, concrete files like connectivity, visa, liberalization, defense industry,
03:48but also economic ties, you know, people to people, higher education.
03:54So this is where I see a lot that we can do.
03:57You mentioned the diplomatic level. Qatar is now the lead mediator between the U.S. and Iran.
04:02How can the EU and Qatar work more closely to secure stability in the region?
04:08I think it's very remarkable, and I'm truly impressed.
04:13And I want to say this without an attempt of flattering, but I think it is under the eyes of
04:21all of us how incredible is the approach of Qatar as a player
04:28to do everything possible to do everything possible to foster dialogue, mediation, peace, from his highness, prime minister, their teams,
04:41I mean, resentlessly working to bring together the parts of this conflict and try to find a way forward.
04:53What, as European Union, we can do is to support Qatar, that was very much the sense of this telephone
05:02conversation in the past days between our Kaya Callas and his excellency, the prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed.
05:12But in general, I think we need to engage and express the support and to, once again, how we concretely
05:25stand next to Qatar in this leading role that Qatar has.
05:31So now security and defense are becoming bigger priorities in the EU-GCC relations.
05:36What are the next steps from the EU's perspective?
05:40Security is fundamental in the current geopolitical context, and I think it's a mutual interest.
05:49The Europe and the Gulf, we are both exposed to challenges in terms of security.
05:56So it's very much how we can work together.
06:00And when I say work together, I think, once again, there is a lot that we can do, that we
06:07are already doing.
06:07I mean, the visit of President Macron very recently, that my colleague, the French ambassador, organized so well, is an
06:18example of what is already there.
06:19My personal ambition is how the European Union can add value to this ongoing cooperation that the member states are
06:31doing very well.
06:33I mentioned France, but Italy, Spain and Germany, many others.
06:37So how can we do that?
06:39And it is possible because the European Union, as you know, is working on establishing a common European defense industry.
06:49So that's why with the, His Excellency, the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, Sheikh Saud, we are working on
06:58a Defense Technology Forum, EU-GCC, that will take place on 3 December here in Doha.
07:04With the ambition to bring together the private sector from the member states, the Qatari authorities and interlocutors, and see
07:13how, as a European Union, we can use our instruments to support this cooperation.
07:20Speaking of that forum, so what are some concrete outcomes we can, you're hoping to see?
07:25There are two main concrete objectives.
07:30The first is to create a platform for our defense industry to work together with the Qatari's counterparts, and possibly
07:43also from the GCC, from the other GCC countries.
07:47So this is a private-to-private industry.
07:52But there is another layer, which I'm very interested in, is the defense industry policy of the European Union.
08:01And the seminar will offer the opportunity for the European Commission to present what we are doing internally,
08:09to build this common defense industry, which very soon can, in my opinion, in the future, become a partner for
08:22third countries.
08:23It's not that at the moment we are focusing internally, but there is a debate ongoing in the European Union
08:30on how, especially with the new multi-annual financial framework,
08:35which is our budget, which is our budget, how we can explore the possibility to strengthen partnership with third country,
08:43also as EU in the defense sector.
08:46So this we will start to discuss in the seminar.
08:50Qatar is a major energy partner for Europe.
08:52But beyond LNG, where do you see the biggest opportunities to strengthen ties, particularly in transport?
08:58Thank you for mentioning transport, because I'm happy to share that our European Commissioner for Transport, Apostolos Tsitsikostas,
09:10is coming to DOA, for the DOA Forum, and he will engage exactly in this sector, transport, with Qatar and
09:22in general with the GCC.
09:23So connectivity is a pillar, I think, where we can foster and boost our economic ties.
09:31But also we are working to establish a kind of European Union framework, we call it ConnectEU, where we want
09:42to bring together the private sector from the European Union member states to work with the Qatar side.
09:49You know this, the member states already do, there are all chambers of commerce, but the idea is, once again,
09:58to bring the instruments that the EU has to support this, in synergy and not in duplication with the member
10:07states.
10:08And since we're talking about transport, to what extent is the EU involved in efforts to reopen the Strait of
10:13Hormuz, and what more can be done?
10:15Well, I think, what we can do, and we have a clear position, which is identical to the position of
10:24Qatar, about opening the Strait, and how our Kayakalas launched the initiative,
10:31no fees, no tolls, for the freedom of navigation, which is, of course, crucial.
10:36I think, what we can do, as European Union, is especially to engage and involve, because this is a common
10:47interest, you know, the, as you know, the impact of this crisis is, is, we can see it everywhere in
10:55the world,
10:56directly on the lives of all people, so I think when we have more awareness that we should not, I'll
11:07say, obstacle, free trade, free navigation,
11:12and ensure the respect of international rules-based order, that is actually a common interest, because it's a guarantee for
11:22everyone.
11:25Europe has long sought to speak with one voice when it comes to the Middle East, conflicts in the Middle
11:30East.
11:30What are the prospects for the EU to play a meaningful role in this region?
11:35Well, I think the situation in Gaza is extremely worrying to all of us, and also to all the European
11:46Union leaders.
11:48They have been discussing this, and we do share with Qatar, the pillars, the support to the peace plan, led
12:00by the US, the support to the peace board,
12:05and also, you know, the fact that illegal settlements are not acceptable, and humanitarian aid.
12:12I think, as you know, member states currently have different positions on the crisis in Gaza, and of course this
12:22is a challenge for us as European Union.
12:25But where there is complete clarity is the position of our European Union leaders, as I said.
12:34So we are very happy to work with Qatar and our other partners in order to ensure, overcome this crisis,
12:47and especially support the civilians with humanitarian aid.
12:52And finally, as the new EU ambassador to Qatar, what are your main priorities, and what would you like to
12:59point to as real progress one year from now?
13:02Well, I must say very transparent that some of my colleagues say that I am ambitious in the projects and
13:13the targets for the way ahead.
13:16But I think, if I may say for one year from now, I would like to see progress in two
13:22areas.
13:23One is the visa liberalization for Qatar, because I think it's coherent when we want to build a stronger partnership
13:34that we start from people to people.
13:37So we allow and favor exchanges and visits at the people to people level.
13:46So I would like to see progress there in one year.
13:49And the second is our negotiation on the special strategic partnership agreement that we are negotiating with Qatar, because I
14:02feel that there is a sense of urgency there, because there is a political will, as I said, to make
14:12concrete this partnership.
14:14We do need a framework.
14:18And this agreement would be an important tool to implement this approach.
14:25So I hope these two will be targets for the next year ahead.
14:29Ambassador Maggiore, thank you so much for joining us on Euronews.
14:33Thank you so much.
