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NATO Summit in The Hague II: everyone survived, now all eyes on Türkiye

NATO Summit in The Hague II: everyone survived, now all eyes on Türkiye

The Nato Summit held in The Hague on 24-25 June was a failure, wrapped in success. It was a success because it avoided public display of divisions, mainly by avoiding issues: it was the shortest summit anyone can remember; it also had a very short final statement that basically had two points, the first a re-commitment to article 5 of the North Atlantic Charter and the principle that an attack on one will be considered an attack on all. The fact that Nato leaders in the Hague had felt the need to re-emphasise this should be a cause of worry not celebration, but in the end, it is good that it was said. The second outcome, the one that received most attention, was the commitment of European countries to spend more on their defence: 5 per cent of GDP, of which 3.5 per cent on hard defence, and 1.5 per cent on related ancillary areas such as infrastructure. You may, if you want, believe that this was a response to US President Donald Trump's insistence. Or, if you are more prudent, understand that countries that matter – Germany, France, Poland and the Scandinavian countries had decided on this course of action quite separately, and as a response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which was a wake-up call. Finland and Sweden’s decision to abandon their neutrality, and join NATO was taken long before Trump returned to the White House. The EU’s decision to spend massively on defence was always to ensure that other European countries are part of this process, willy-nilly.

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Saudi Arabia and allies restore diplomatic relations with Qatar as summit hails a new dawn in regional relations

Saudi Arabia and allies restore diplomatic relations with Qatar as summit hails a new dawn in regional relations

The theme of unity and solidarity dominated the summit, and was the basis of the document known as the Al Ula Declaration, signed by the leaders  at the end of the meeting. The EU has welcomed the results of the Al Ula summit describing them as "significant developments as they will considerably strengthen regional stability and restore GCC unity and cooperation in full."
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Opinion
 Commentary: GCC leaders will meet this week to seek a unified approach to tackle many challenges ahead

Commentary: GCC leaders will meet this week to seek a unified approach to tackle many challenges ahead

Leaders from the six nation Gulf Co-operation Council meet in Saudi Arabia this week. After months of discussions the rift between Qatar and other GCC members appears to have been healed, opening the prospect for a unified approach to the challenges ahead.
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News
GCC: cooperation key in facing current challenges

GCC: cooperation key in facing current challenges

The forty-first session of the Supreme Council of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf will be held tomorrow in Al-Ula Governorate, in Saudi Arabia.  The summit is expected to provide a real opportunity to overcome a number of challenges facing the region, the most important of which is the unity of the Gulf  states efforts to confront the pandemic and restore economic growth for the countries of the region.
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News
Sweden takes over chairmanship of the OSCE

Sweden takes over chairmanship of the OSCE

“Our priorities as Chair will be to emphasize the fundamental tasks of the OSCE; defending the European security order, upholding the OSCE concept of comprehensive security and to contribute to resolving the conflicts in our region", said incoming OSCE Chairperson Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde.