RIYADH, 1 May 2004 — Diplomats here have welcomed the enlargement of the European Union from 15 to 25 member-countries on May 1.

“The increase in EU membership is a landmark event in Poland. It is a symbolic end to the division of Europe, which Poland has always been part of,” said Polish Ambassador Adam Kulach.

“We believe that such an enlargement will enable us to have new opportunities to develop not only internally but also externally,” Kulach said.

“This presents opportunities to cooperate with partners such as Saudi Arabia and other countries in the Gulf,” Kulach added.

Czech Ambassador Dr. Zdenek Polacek described his country’s accession to the EU as historic and said the decision to enter was the mandate of more than 76 percent of Czech citizens.

The envoy recalled that Prague was in the “center” of Europe before World War II and had became isolated following the Communist coup-d’état afterward. “The accession of the Czech Republic to the EU indicates the former’s return to Western Europe for which it was always linked by way of culture, economy and politics,” the ambassador said.

“The enlargement of the EU is the latest step to overcome the Cold War division of Europe. The new member states, with their traditions, cultures and experiences, enrich the EU. It’s a very positive step for Germany,” Elmar Jakobs, first secretary at the German Embassy, told Arab News on Friday.

“Our trade exchange with the ten new members exceeds our trade volume with the United States,” he pointed out.

Another important point is that by bringing in Malta and Cyprus, the EU expands geographically toward the Arab world and this is expected to strengthen the Arab-European relationships.

Other diplomats here pointed out that the trading bloc expansion comes at a time the EU and the Gulf Cooperation Council are successfully negotiating a free trade pact among their member-states.

“The GCC states and their main economic partner, the EU, are likely to sign a long-sought free trade agreement before 2005 after a landmark customs union in the Gulf is enforced early next year,” a European delegate said yesterday.