EU bid to bolster Arab links as US leaves HUGE vacuum for Russia and China
EUROPEAN and Arab leaders participated in a landmark summit on Sunday, as major World powers met for talks at the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El Sheikh. This first summit debuts as the US retracts from the region.
Sharm El-Sheik has set the stage for EU-Arab relations as international leaders descended on the region for vital talks. Theresa May joined statespeople from 40 countries to discuss diplomatic, economic and security interests, at the summit hosted by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi. The talks come as the US has ‘disengaged’ from the region and left a power vacuum behind which China and Russia are both vying to fill. European Council President Donald Tusk has stated the talks mark a time to focus on self-governance and avoid leaving politics to “powers far from our region”.
As the US pulls resources from the region directed by President Donald Trump, China and Russia have moved in to establish their own burgeoning sphere of influence.
US-Arab relations have been on the decline since Mr Trump took office in 2017, and the President recently labelled Tehran the “world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism”.