The meeting is taking place amid the Israeli ware on the region and the Russian and Ukrainian conflict, according to media.
The summit was expected to last just a few hours and encompass everything from visas and trade to the situation in the Middle East, and was unlikely to yield more than general commitments to improve cooperation, AP reported.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said the summit was “long overdue” and added that “the economic ties between the European Union and the [Persian] Gulf countries need to be strengthened.”
“They are there, but they have the potential to be developed much, much further,” he said.
Meanwhile, the EU President Charles Michel said at the opening session of summit that "This summit opens a new — and I hope more ambitious — chapter in our cooperation. I hope this summit will help us to see more eye to eye on many of our shared challenges and that this will be the first of many meetings between our regions at leaders’ level. It is an honour to co-chair this Summit with you, Your Highness Sheikh Tamim, the Emir of Qatar. Thank you for your personal commitment."
MNA