"The EU, on its part, is following the recent wave of changes in the Arab world and is assisting in the transition in some countries," said Ambassador Luigi Narbone, chief of the EU Delegation in Riyadh, Monday night.

Narbone, who gave an overview of the growing EU engagement in the region, was speaking during a reception on the occasion of Europe Day. Speaking on the sidelines of the reception, he pointed out that the two blocs, the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council, have forged closer ties, and that a meeting of the GCC-EU Clean Energy Network would begin in Brussels Wednesday. This is in addition to a European film festival, which kicked off in Riyadh Tuesday, and a GCC-EU Economic Dialogue scheduled for June 8 also in the Saudi capital.

Referring to the unrest in Yemen and the region as a whole, the European Delegation chief, who is accredited to the six Gulf states, said dialogue is the only way to make progress on political, economic and social reforms.

Recent developments in North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula are a clear demonstration of the "need for closer dialogue between the EU and GCC," added Narbone.

"The EU is assisting in the transition of power in some countries with different means at our disposal and by maintaining open communication with all partners in this region," said Narbone.

He further stressed that the EU could count on Saudi Arabia as "a key and reliable partner." To this end, he noted that a joint workshop on nuclear safety would be organized within a few months from now to share experiences in this field between the Gulf and EU experts.

Referring to the film festival, he said the event began Tuesday with the screening of a famous Italian movie at the Italian Embassy. The festival, which will end on June 8, will provide opportunities to the people in the Saudi capital to watch the best movies from 14 countries, including Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK. He pointed out that a photo exhibition to feature the major landmarks of the 27 EU nations would be staged shortly.

Asked about the details of the meeting of the GCC-EU Clean Energy Network, Narbone said the two-day meeting in the Belgian capital would provide a platform for energy experts, including representatives from the European Commission and the GCC agencies to exchange views and information. This would help in mobilizing and exploiting the potential of EU-GCC clean energy cooperation, said the ambassador.

He added that this energy project had moved to a technical level with two blocs trying to find the operational levels.