By Nawab Khan, KUNA,
Brussels : A prominent Member of the European Parliament wants the European Union to give more attention to the relations with the Gulf countries than it has done before and to deepen EU-GCC ties.
“In the past years maybe we have not drawn our attention as intensively to this region as we should have done,” Dr. Angelika Niebler, chairperson for the EPs Delegation for relations with the Arab Peninsula , told the Kuwait news agency (KUNA) in an interview. “We should really have a good and close relationship with this region. I will do everything in my responsibility as chairperson to build up and deepen relations between this Arabian Peninsula and the European Union” stressed the German MEP. Niebler described the Gulf region as “very interesting region,” and noted that the President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek is also very eager in building up close relations with the Gulf region. Niebler will be leading a visit of the Delegation to Kuwait which holds the current GCC Presidency, and Qatar at the end of March to boost relations. In June the EP will welcome a delegation from Oman.
Energy cooperation with the Gulf countries is the focus of the EU and this is a topic which is of interest to both regions, said the European Parliamentarian and underlined that the GCC countries will continue to be important source of energy supply to Europe . Niebler belongs to the European Peoples Party (Christian Democrats) and has been an MEP since 1999. Asked why the name of the Delegation which was earlier called Delegation for relations with the Gulf Cooperation Council was changed, Niebler replied that “we did a reshaping of all the Delegations and I think it made sense to group these seven countries ( 6 GCC countries plus Yemen ) . “They have geographically so close links that it would be good to have this in one Delegation,” she explained. The Delegation for relations with the Arab Peninsula is responsible for maintaining relations between European Parliament and the countries of the Peninsula ( Bahrain , Kuwait , Oman , Qatar , Saudi Arabia , the United Arab Emirates and Yemen ) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).