DAMASCUS, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad discussed on Wednesday with visiting European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Javier Solana on relations between the two sides, the official SANA news agency reported.

    Both sides stressed the necessity to move forward in upgrading and consolidating the EU-Syrian relations "which contribute to the achievement of peace and stability in the region," said the report.

    According to SANA, the latest developments on regional and international arenas, particularly the tragic situation in the Gaza Strip due to the Israeli aggression were also discussed.

    Their talks in this regard focused on the combination of Arab-European efforts to rebuild Gaza, lift the Israeli siege, open all the crossings, and achieve the inter-Palestinian reconciliation, added SANA.

    Solana described Syria's role as pivotal in finding solutions to problems in the region.

    Solana was currently on a Middle East tour which will also take him to Lebanon, Egypt, Israel and the Palestinian territories.