ISLAMABAD: The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) said on Sunday it is planning to expand cooperation with Pakistan, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The GCC is a regional, intergovernmental political and economic union that consists of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
The plans to tighten and further develop new areas of cooperation were discussed by GCC secretary general Nayef bin Falah Al-Hajraf and Pakistan's ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Bilal Akbar, during a meeting at the council's main headquarters in Riyadh on Sunday.
"During the meeting, they reviewed ways to enhance and develop cooperation between the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to serve common interests, and the latest political developments in the region," the SPA reported.
"His Excellency Secretary-General reviewed with the Ambassador the relations that bind the GCC countries with the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in various fields."
In April, after a gap of 13 years, Pakistan and the GCC resumed negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA).
Talks on the FTA started in 2004, but after two rounds of talks in 2006 and 2008, only a broader outline was reached.
The intention to resume the negotiations was declared during Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to Islamabad in 2019, but they were further delayed by the coronavirus outbreak.