SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE ARAB GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL (GCC) ABDULRAHMAN AL-ATIYYAH HAS UNDERSCORED THE STRENGTH OF THE RELATIONS BETWEEN MEMBER COUNTRIES OF THE GCC AND THE EUROPEAN UNION (EU) AND DESCRIBED THEM AS "HISTORIC TIES". SPEAKING AT PARIS EURO-MEDITERRANEAN FORUM, AL-ATIYYAH REITERATED THE KEENNESS OF THE GCC COUNTRIES ON FURTHER ENHANCING THESE RELATIONS WITH THE EUROPEAN UNION. HE NOTED THAT THE EU CONSTITUTES THE BIGGEST COMMERCIAL PARTNERS OF THE GCC MEMBER STATES. 'THE VOLUME OF TRADE EXCHANGE BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES JUMPED FROM $23 BILLION IN 1987 TO MORE THAN $ 110 BILLION LAST YEAR', HE SAID, POINTING OUT THAT THE IMPORTS OF THE GCC MEMBER STATES FROM THE EU CONSTITUTE MORE THAN ONE THIRD OF THEIR IMPORTS. THE GCC IS MADE UP OF SAUDI ARABIA, THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, KUWAIT, QATAR, BAHRAIN AND OMAN. --MORE
