Theodore Kyriakou
Chairman of Antenna Group
Theodore Kyriakou
Chairman of Antenna Group
Frederick Kempe,
President & CEO of the Atlantic Council
Giorgia Meloni,
Prime Minister of Italy
Kristalina Georgieva
Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund
Kristalina Georgieva
Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund
Jasem Mohamed Al-Budaiwi,
Secretary General of the GCC
The Europe Gulf Forum is a permanent platform for dialogue and practical cooperation that connects leaders and accelerates solutions for some of the most urgent issues facing both regions.  It brings together the key stakeholders who can turbo charge responses: heads of state and senior government officials, institutional leaders, large investors and business decision-makers, from Europe and the Gulf.
The Forum was founded by Theodore Kyriakou, Chairman of Antenna Group, an international media, news, content and entertainment organization, and is co-chaired by Theodore Kyriakou and Frederick Kempe, President and CEO of the Atlantic Council. It is supported by Senior Advisors Sir Tony Blair and Amos Hochstein.
It was launched out of the conviction that the stability and prosperity of Europe and the Gulf states are intertwined, and that the regions must work together and commit to action with clear deadlines. Europe and the Gulf are bound by a shared history, strong trade and investment ties, and a common future. This means that conflict in the Gulf is not a distant crisis for Europe – it is a shared one. Europe’s economic security depends on Gulf security, which is why the two regions must act quickly and decisively to restore peace and stability and to lay new foundations for their shared prosperity.

‍

September 2025: The Forum was launched on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. 

‍May 2026: The Antenna Group hosted the first Europe Gulf Forum flagship convening in Greece, in partnership with the Atlantic Council. It brought together 23 heads of state, prime ministers, senior government officials, policymakers, and investors in a format that fostered trust and cooperation. It resulted in regional agreements on migration and maritime security, a major investment in Southeastern Europe’s leading energy company, and the establishment of the Forum as a permanent platform.
September 2026: The third meeting of the Europe Gulf Forum which took place in New York, on the sidelines of the UNGA. It heard leaders from both regions and America urge governments to move faster with more concrete, practical plans or risk prosperity suffering in Europe and beyond. In particular, the need to solve the on-going issue of trade routes through the Strait of Hormuz was cited as a critical issue.
Europe Gulf Forum United Nations General Assembly Photo
€165.6B
EU–GCC trade in goods in 2025
70.7%
Share of hydrocarbons in GCC exports to Europe in 2025
€189.8B
GCC FDI stock in EU, 2024
€163.1B
EU FDI stock in GCC, 2024

A First-of-its-Kind Forum Between Europe and the Gulf

Enhancing consensus on global geopolitical challenges
Strengthening economic relations between Europe and the Gulf
Informing policymaking to support economic growth
Advancing cross-border investments across key sectors of the economy