BRUSSELS: The Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council Dr. Nayef bin Falah Al-Hajraf on Tuesday called for a strengthening of links between the organization and Europe. During official talks in Brussels with the European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson, the GCC leader highlighted the importance of existing relations with Europe and said council member states were keen to further cement ties. The GCC is a regional union that consists of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the UAE. Earlier this month, Al-Hajraf stressed the importance of strengthening Gulf-Chinese relations to serve common interests, and the necessity of intensifying cooperation in areas of mutual interest. This came during his visit to China at the invitation of Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Al-Hajraf expressed his hope that the visit would contribute to strengthening Gulf-Chinese relations, in light of the framework agreement for economic, investment and technical cooperation signed between the two sides in June 2004, as well as the memorandum of understanding signed in 2010.