European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on Sunday started her four-day tour to the Gulf region for a cooperative meeting and "better insights into the political situation" in the region, Xinhua reported.
Ashton is expected to co-chair the EU-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Ministerial Meeting in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, according to an EU news release.She travels first to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, where she will meet Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal and GCC Secretary-general Abdel-Aziz Zayani. She will also hold talks with a group of influential Saudi women.
On Tuesday, Ashton will be in Doha, Qatar, where she will hold talks with Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, and Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr Al Thani. She will also take part in a policy discussion at the Doha Brookings Center.
In Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, Ashton is expected to co-chair the EU-GCC meeting with UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. She will also meet the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
"My first official visit to the Gulf region comes at an important moment in our relationship with our neighborhood," Ashton was quoted as saying in the release.
Ashton said she believes the EU and the Gulf states share many common challenges, such as the Middle East peace process, the nuclear issue in Iran and the on-going transition in Egypt and Tunisia. She hopes the visit could help "lay the foundations for a close, frank and open political dialogue between the EU and the Gulf states."
Tweet
0
Рекомендую
Source: Trend - news from the Caspian, South Caucasus and Central Asia
0 comments:
Post a Comment