BRUSSELS, April 1 (UPI) -- The European Commission announced Friday that European foreign ministers will meet with Middle Eastern leaders to discuss a free trade agreement.
Benita Ferrero-Waldner, European Union external relations commissioner, and Peter Mandelson, EU trade commissioner, will serve as representatives at the two-day meeting in Bahrain next week.
"This is an important meeting for us," said Ferrero-Waldner. "The EU is committed to strengthening relations with the region, and I believe that both sides are now ready to open up new areas for cooperation. We need to identify specific initiatives in the political, economic and social fields and I am looking forward to making some concrete proposals to my GCC colleagues."
Ferrero-Waldner and Mandelson will meet with leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council, which include Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. It is expected that both parties are aiming to conclude negotiations over the EU-GCC free trade agreement and expand political and economic initiatives.
