Brussels, 18/05/2016 (Agence Europe) - Visiting Kuwait on 16-17 May, the European Parliament delegation for relations with the Arab Peninsula called on the European Union on Tuesday 17 May to strengthen its cooperation with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and Kuwait in particular.
“The delegation calls for an intensification of relations between the EU and the GCC, and Kuwait in particular”, said the statement from the delegation, which comprised Michéle Alliot-Marie (EPP, France), Gilles Pargneaux (S&D, Belgium) and Alyn Smith (Greens/EFA, UK). “There is space for more intense political dialogue, cooperation in security issues, closer economic and commercial relations, and more extensive people-to-people contacts”, the MEPs added.
In their opinion, “at this crucial moment when Kuwait and all the GCC countries and the EU face common challenges, not least in the fields of security and economy, it is vital that we (…) develop more effective means of cooperating to tackle these challenges for the benefit of our citizens in the Gulf region and Europe in the spirit of tolerance and respect”. They also called for more knowledge to be gained of each other's traditions, cultures, economies, social and political systems
The MEPs stated that the European Parliament had been the first EU institution to call for a strategic partnership between the EU and the GCC. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)