BRUSSELS, Oct 15 (Reuters) – The EU on Thursday said it had postponed a summit with Gulf states that was due to be held in Saudi Arabia on October 24, as attacks by Houthis have increased security concerns in the country.
The EU did not detail the reason for the postponement, and only said a new date would be announced “in due course.”
The postponement is a further blow to Saudi Arabia’s effort to host global events despite the escalating war with the Houthis.
The EU had partly intended the summit to show solidarity with Gulf states and Saudi Arabia amid the war, and the decision to scrap it underlines just how serious the situation is.
Last weekend, 13 people were killed and hundreds wounded in strikes on Riyadh’s international airport, in an attack claimed by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis.
The airport, where dignitaries had been supposed to land, remains closed after the attacks.
The EU said it still saw “great strategic importance” in the relationship between both regions and added it would remain committed to “deepening” the partnership.
(Reporting by Andrew Gray, Lili Bayer and Timour Azhari;Writing by Bart Meijer; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta, Alexandra Hudson)
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