Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Albudaiwi met here today with New Zealand's Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Agriculture, Trade, Forestry, Hunting and Fishing Todd McClay. The two sides commended the efforts of the negotiating teams working on the Free Trade Agreement (FTA). They emphasized that the FTA will open up more investment opportunities and enhance economic ties to further their mutual interests. Albudaiwi highlighted that the GCC countries and New Zealand are making progress in the FTA negotiations, having reached an agreement on most chapters. The two officials also discussed various topics of mutual interest, including reviewing GCC-New Zealand relations, exploring ways to enhance them across all sectors, and monitoring the implementation of the memorandum of understanding and joint action plan signed by the two sides. Source: Saudi Press Agency