Gulf-EU Summit in Riyadh Postponed as Houthi Attacks Keep Saudi Capital's Airport Shut

A planned meeting between the leaders of the European Union and the six Gulf Cooperation Council states has been called off for now, as Houthi missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia make Riyadh an increasingly difficult place to host a summit.

The gathering, the second in this format, was scheduled for October 24 in the Saudi capital. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was due to co-host it with European Council President António Costa, with all 27 EU heads of state or government expected to attend. On Thursday, GCC Secretary-General Jasem Albudaiwi said the meeting would be moved to a later date agreed by both sides, citing the need to protect visiting delegations from ongoing threats.

Why Riyadh could not host

The immediate problem is logistics as much as security. King Khalid International Airport, Riyadh's main gateway, has been closed since a Houthi strike on October 10 killed 13 people, and there is no clear timeline for reopening. Since then, the Yemen-based group has fired further missiles at the capital and has targeted Saudi Aramco facilities, including an administrative building in the Eastern Province. On Thursday, the Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted a cruise missile over the Medina region, a claim the Houthis rejected.

The postponement adds to a growing list of disrupted events in the kingdom. A high-profile exhibition tennis tournament has been pushed to late December, while organisers of the annual Future Investment Initiative forum, due in Riyadh from October 26 to 29, are offering virtual attendance and alternative land routes through neighbouring Gulf capitals to keep it on track.

What Europe and the Gulf had hoped to achieve

The European Council said in a statement that the EU-GCC partnership is of great strategic importance and that a new date would be announced in due course. The relationship has gained weight since the start of the Iran war, with Europe looking to Gulf producers to replace lost energy supplies and several EU states, including France and Italy, sending air defence systems to the region.

Gulf governments had hoped the summit would move forward talks on harmonising Schengen visa arrangements for their citizens, which currently vary from one GCC country to another. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev, who had anticipated a security-related delay, said his country is pushing for a rail corridor that would carry Saudi oil through Syria and Turkey into Bulgaria and on to the rest of Europe, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.

The bigger backdrop

The decision came as EU leaders met in Brussels for their own two-day summit, where high energy prices top the agenda. With Brent crude still above $100 a barrel and European gas prices at their highest since the winter of 2022, closer ties with Gulf suppliers are central to the bloc's energy planning. A delayed summit does not change that need, but it shows how the conflict around the Arabian Peninsula is now affecting diplomacy as well as oil and shipping.

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