European Council President Antonio Costa travelled to Qatar on Wednesday for the final stop of a tour to show Europe's support for Gulf states against attacks by Iran.
In a meeting with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim, Mr Costa highlighted Qatar's diplomatic efforts in the Middle East.
“Qatar has undertaken an important mediation to achieve peace and stability in the region,” Mr Costa said.
He also praised Qatar, the world's largest supplier of liquefied natural gas (LNG), as a “reliable partner in supporting global energy security”, the state news agency reported.
Mr Costa repeated assurances of EU support to Gulf nations that he delivered during previous stops in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Mr Costa arrived in Doha from Saudi Arabia, where he met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
His tour comes during a two-week ceasefire in the Iran war and amid efforts to hold a second round of talks between the US and Iran to end the conflict, after an inconclusive first meeting hosted by Pakistan in Islamabad at the weekend.
The European Council President said the EU supported diplomacy as a means to end the war.
“Iran’s leadership should seize this opportunity to address the concerns of the international community – on nuclear, on ballistic missiles, on freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and on its support to proxies, in particular Hezbollah,” he said.
Mr Costa met President Sheikh Mohamed in the UAE on Tuesday. The two leaders discussed the Iran war and its implications for regional and international security, state news agency Wam reported.
They agreed that Iran's attacks on civilians and non-military infrastructure in the UAE and across the region constitute a breach of international law.
Mr Costa stressed the European Council’s solidarity with the UAE and other countries in the Middle East in safeguarding security.
“In my meeting with President Sheikh Mohamed, I expressed my gratitude for the assistance and attention given to the safety of the 200,000 EU citizens living in the UAE,” he wrote on X.
“We discussed how the EU and the UAE can co-operate more closely to bring stability back to the region and protect our shared interests," he said.
“The EU is committed to working with partners in the region to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, guarantee the safe passage of ships around the Arabian Peninsula and to support all diplomatic efforts for lasting peace in the Middle East.”
