GCC- EU ministerial council meet in Manama

Works of the 11th meeting of the joint ministerial council between the Gulf Cooperation Council GCC member states and the European Union started on Monday in Manama.

In an inaugural speech, Bahrain's foreign minister Sheikh Muhammad Bin Mubarak called on the European Union to take into account the joint strategic interests for the two sides.

He called on the EU to respond to the serious desire of the GCC to foster co-operation with the EU and to work for eliminating obstacles hindering attaining the objectives of the cooperation agreement in Brussels as a base to reach a comprehensive agreement for the free trade Zone.