"Our relationship is not one of an institution with a client that receives assistant. It is more on par compared with other groups and states," she told a meeting of the European Parliaments Delegation for relations with the Arab Peninsula.
Dr. Angelika Niebler, chairperson for the EP’s Delegation for relations with the Arab Peninsula, said al-Mulla and Ambassador of Qatar to Brussels Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad al-Thani have been invited to exchange views with them as the Delegation intends to visit the two Gulf states in March.
The German MEP also noted that Kuwait is the current holder of the GCC Presidency.
Al-Mulla informed the meeting about the outcome of the recently held GCC summit in Kuwait and recalled that the GCC leaders expressed their intention to develop relations with the EU through the Cooperation Agreement which was signed in 1988.
"Our cooperation with the EU is going on in all sectors economy, energy, education," she said.
Al-Mulla noted that the GCC is the fifth trading partner of the EU after US, Switzerland, Russia and China while the EU is the first trading partner of the GCC.
Members of the European Parliament posed several questions during the meeting related with the EU-GCC free trade agreement (FTA), the economic crisis, relations with Iran, Yemen and Afghanistan.
The Kuwaiti ambassador said: "We are the only bloc of countries negotiating seriously." On the FTA, she said: "We are interested in the GCC to continue the process of FTA negotiations." She underlined that oil prices are not manipulated by OPEC or the producing countries noting that oil prices suddenly dropped due to the economic crisis. "We want a stable price for oil," said al-Mulla.
On Yemen, she noted that GCC ministers are attending the conference in London on Yemen today.
"We believe that security of Yemen is part of our security. We are doing a lot in Yemen," said al-Mulla, noting that the GCC has contributed 2.3 billion dollars to development of Yemen while the EU has contributed about 220 mn euros.
Every GCC member is very interested in the stability of Yemen, she stressed.
On Iran, al-Mulla said: "The international approach to resolve the nuclear issue is the right one while recognizing Iran’s right to nuclear energy for civilian needs." The Kuwaiti ambassador also called for the implementation of UNSC rsolutions regarding the Palestine question.
Ambassador of Qatar Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad al-Thani said his country’s policies are in line with the GCC policies.
On Iran, he said the best way forward is through negotiations. The Delegation for relations with the Arab Peninsula is responsible for maintaining relations between the 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).
The Delegation is actually a special committee formed by the EP to develop ties with a particular country or region.
