Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday discussed with visiting Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Abdul-Rahman Attiya the establishment of a free trade zone between Syria and the GCC countries.

The two sides agreed to speed up the conclusion of an agreement on the free trade zone and encourage the GCC countries to invest in Syria, the official SANA news agency reported.

The talks also involved aspects of cooperation between Syria and the GCC countries and ways to activate the Arab cooperation through the Arab League and other Arab establishments, such as the GCC.

The situations in Iraq, the occupied Palestinian territories and Lebanon were also reviewed during the meeting.

Established in 1981, the GCC is a regional political and economic alliance aimed at enhancing cooperation among its six member states, namely Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman.

Source: Xinhua