New Delhi, Oct. 29 -- In recent years, relations between the 27-member European Union (EU) and the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have moved beyond the traditional energy and trade ties toward a more strategic partnership.

The old European notion of the Gulf as just a 'petrol station' fuelling its factories and economies has all but vanished and is rapidly giving way to a more nuanced appreciation of the region as a dynamic hub of investment, innovation, and global influence."

As the EU seeks reliable energy partners and the GCC economies push to diversify beyond hydrocarbons, their collaboration has taken on a multidimensional character that will inevitably affect South Asia, a region that sits at the crossroads of both geop...