The European Union and the Gulf states have postponed the summit they were due to hold in Riyadh on October 24, with sources tying the decision to security concerns as Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia continue and the capital's airport stays closed.
The European Council announced the postponement on Thursday: "The second Summit between the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council, originally planned for 24 October 2026 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has been postponed. A new date will be announced in due course."
The statement called the EU-GCC partnership one of "great strategic importance" to both regions, and said the EU remains committed to deepening it — building on the first summit, held in Brussels in October 2024.
The EU gave no detailed reason for the delay. But two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters the decision was tied to security concerns, confirming remarks by Bulgaria's Prime Minister Rumen Radev, who said earlier Thursday that he understood the meeting would be scrapped over security.
The summit was meant in part to show solidarity with the Gulf states and Saudi Arabia amid the war. Instead, the security picture forced the delay: Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport — where visiting dignitaries would have landed — remains closed after a series of deadly Houthi attacks, including a strike last weekend that killed at least 12 people and wounded more than 300.
"The partnership between the EU and the GCC is of great strategic importance to both regions. The EU remains committed to deepening this partnership." — European Council statement, October 15.
The postponement is one more piece of fallout from the escalating Saudi-Houthi war. FIFA and the Saudi Esports Federation also postponed the FIFAe Finals, which were due to open in Jeddah on Friday, citing an assessment of recent developments in the region.
Egypt and Qatar, meanwhile, stressed on Thursday the need to halt all hostilities against Saudi Arabia and expressed solidarity with the kingdom.
For Riyadh, which has built its global calendar around hosting world leaders and major events, a summit postponed over security is a direct measure of what the Houthi campaign is now costing the kingdom — in diplomacy as well as in the air.
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