European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Javier Solana, who is on a Middle East tour to discuss relations between the EU and countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), arrived in Saudi Arabia Monday.
He is expected to meet with Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz and foreign minister Saud al-Faisal later in the day.
The talks will also cover the latest developments in the Middle East peace process and Tehran's nuclear file, the EU said.
On the first leg of his five-day tour, Solana met UAE President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al- Nahyan, foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed, and Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi.
His tour is also meant to prepare the groundwork for the signing of the free trade agreement between the two entities.
In the UAE, Solana told reporters that in a world that is getting smaller each day, the Gulf has become closer to Europe than anytime in the last five decades.
From Saudi Arabia, he will proceed to Qatar Tuesday. His trip will conclude Wednesday after a meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus.
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April 24, 2026 15:15 ET Economics news flow was relatively light this week even as the conflict in the Middle East continued, raising concerns for policymakers. In the U.S., spending data, initial jobless claims and pending home sales were the highlights. Business confidence in the biggest euro area economy was in focus in Europe. Inflation data from Japan gained attention in Asia.