Riyadh- Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani met Monday with Maltese Foreign Minister George Vella.

During the meeting, they discussed issues of common interest and ways of enhancing cooperation between the two sides in all fields.

They also reviewed the latest regional and international developments.

The two sides also discussed the GCC-EU relations and ways of developing them, especially that Malta is holding the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU).

The GCC Secretary General and Maltese Foreign Minister signed a memorandum of understanding on holding a dialogue for consultations, exchanging information and developing relations between the two sides.

The MoU will result in “more structured and strategic dialogue,” between Malta and the council.

Speaking at a joint press conference held after the signing of the agreement, Vella said that the meeting, which he said is long overdue, sought to launch a “new deeper and stronger” relationship with the council.

“We spoke about strengthening what is already there. We won’t be reinventing the wheel,” Vella said, adding that the increased cooperation will not only be political but will also focus on business and trade.

For his part, Zayani said that the “private sector will be the engine for cooperation.”

He said that issues such as the conflicts in Yemen, Libya and Syria were discussed, and he stated that the GCC believed that any resolution to these conflicts would be the result of a diplomatic process.