The 22nd EU-GCC Joint Council and Ministerial meeting ended here tonight by agreeing to step up cooperation and make their relations more dynamic.

"The European Union's relations with the Gulf countries are extremely important and becoming more so. Today's meeting is a constructive and important one, at this crucial time," EU High Representative Catherine Ashton told a press conference after the meeting.

"The meeting we have just had has already shown us how important it is to strengthen the foundation for our dialogue on the issues we have discussed. So we decided today we would take a step further, by asking our senior officials from the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council to draw up plans to help ensure our relationship becomes even more strategic, even more dynamic," she stressed.

"Our co-operation on Yemen has perhaps already provided a good example of the way forward," she added.

The two sides discussed the situation in Syria, Iran's nuclear issue, Palestine, piracy in Somalia, and global challenges such as non-proliferation and disarmament, counter-terrorism and climate change.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates.

Prince Saud Al Faisal, Saudi Foreign Minister, chaired the meeting from the GCC side as Saudi Arabia holds the current GCC Presidency.

He said they discussed the search for a political solution in Syria which is satisfactory to the Syrian people.

"If the regime continues its policy of violence and cruelty there will be no alternative before us but to resort to chapter seven of the UN charter to assure compliance of the regime based on the political will of the international community," he warned.
"The flow of arms to Syrian regime must stop," he stressed.

On the Iranian nuclear issue, Saud Al Faisal said the Iranians were playing for time.
"We had a discussion on Iran and we got an agreement on that a negotiation has to be done. We need a political solution. From basic experience we are suspicions that the negotiation as seen as a way to gain time. We really feel that Iran is planning to waste time," he added.