EU ready to work with Gulf states on energy diversification

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said that the European Union is ready to cooperate with Gulf countries on developing new energy export projects to global markets that would be insulated from war and geopolitical instability.

According to European Pravda, she made the remarks during a press conference following an informal meeting of EU leaders in the capital of Cyprus.

Von der Leyen said recent developments had underscored the risks facing interconnected global security and energy systems.

“Our security is not just connected, it is inseparably connected. A threat to a merchant vessel in the Strait of Hormuz is a threat, for example, to a factory in Belgium,” she said.

She added: “We are also ready to join forces with Gulf countries to diversify export infrastructure so that it does not depend solely on the Strait of Hormuz.”

The European Commission president also offered EU support for rebuilding energy infrastructure in Gulf states damaged during the war.

Separately, media reports cited US military assessments indicating that units of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had laid new mines in the Strait of Hormuz this week.

On April 17, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that “as soon as conditions allow,” France and the United Kingdom would begin a defensive naval mission aimed at safeguarding freedom of navigation in the strait.

By Tamilla Hasanova