The first Gulf-European summit will take place in Brussels tomorrow, Wednesday, amid complex regional and international circumstances. The European Union has confirmed its commitment to exempting citizens of Gulf countries from the Schengen visa requirement.

Christophe Farnaud, the EU Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, stated that the EU is committed to working towards visa-free arrangements for all Gulf states. The EU is also working to simplify visa requirements and enhance people-to-people connections, while preparing to launch a new electronic system for Schengen visa applications in the coming years.

The EU and the Gulf Cooperation Council aim to strengthen their strategic partnership in economic and investment fields, with trade between the two sides reaching 170 billion euros in goods alone.