Not all invitations to international summits carry equal significance. Some are purely protocolar, aimed at broadening the circle of attendees; others carry a political message that goes beyond the collective photograph of leaders to influence what is discussed behind closed doors.
It is in this second category that one should read the invitation extended to three Arab states — the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Egypt — to attend the Group of Seven meetings in France, coinciding with the presence of the American president and ahead of the signing of what is described as a US memorandum of understanding to organise regional security arrangements. We are now in a grey phase; it will take time and resolve to reach anything resembling a just peace in our region.
What is striking is that the invitation did not come in ordinary circumstances. The region is passing through a period of sweeping realignment of security and political balances, following years of conflict. In such periods, major powers seek partners they can rely on to manage stability, not merely to confront crises.
A further significance lies in the nature of the invited states. The UAE and Qatar are no longer simply two Gulf states endowed with vast economic resources; they have become effective political and diplomatic actors across a number of international and regional files. Egypt, by virtue of its geographic position and its demographic and military weight, represents an indispensable pillar in any future vision for regional security.
The bilateral meetings held between the American president and the leaders of the UAE and Qatar also merit attention. International relations are measured not only by formal statements but also by the depth of direct consultation on sensitive files. It is clear that Washington understands that any new architecture for regional security will not succeed if it is crafted without the states that possess the capacity to exert political, economic, and logistical influence.
There is another dimension relating to the shift in the Western perception of the Gulf states. In earlier periods, the Gulf's importance was tied primarily to oil and energy. Today, new elements have been added to the equation of influence — among them massive investments and a role in international mediation.
This includes the ability to communicate with opposing parties in multiple crises. It was for this reason that the American president, weeks earlier, contacted all Gulf leaderships to brief them on developments. The Gulf has become a partner in shaping the forthcoming arrangements, and has secured a role in the coming understandings — a role it had been denied in the lead-up to the 2015 agreement between the United States and Iran, despite having demanded it at the time.
From a broader vantage point, these invitations can be understood as an international acknowledgement that regional stability cannot be imposed from the outside, or by a single power. The experience of recent decades has demonstrated that any security project that does not enjoy the participation of the principal local powers remains fragile and prone to failure.
It is therefore logical and necessary that Arab and Gulf states participate in the discussions that precede any security understandings. Moreover, the presence of two Gulf states among the three invited Arab countries reflects the standing that the Gulf Cooperation Council and its member states have come to occupy in international calculations.
The world today regards the Gulf as a zone of relative stability within a turbulent environment, and as a financial and economic centre capable of contributing to the resolution of crises that extend beyond its geographic borders.
In the end, the significance of these meetings may lie not only in what has been announced about them, but in what they indicate about future trajectories of participation in regional security. When Arab and Gulf states are invited to a table discussing regional and international security — from Ukraine to Iran — before its final arrangements are approved,
the most important message is that the region is no longer merely a subject of international decisions but has become a partner in drafting them. This is a political shift no less important than any agreement that may be signed in the coming period, because those invited to the table today participate in drawing the maps of tomorrow and in shaping the regional order that is forming before our eyes.