ANKARA

The foreign policy chiefs of the EU and Israel held bilateral talks ahead of the bloc's Foreign Affairs Council, Brussels announced on Monday.

The EU's Josep Borrell and Israel's alternate Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid discussed bilateral and regional issues on Sunday in Brussels, said a press release by the EU External Action Service.

"The High Representative and the Foreign Minister, listening to each other's mutual expectations, had a wide-ranging, honest exchange on EU-Israel bilateral relations, regional issues and on how the dialogue with the Palestinians can be moved forward," said the release.

"They discussed the importance to enhance EU-Israel relations and considered how to address together existing challenges in order to achieve this common goal," it added.

Lapid will also meet his counterparts from EU member states on the margins of the EU Foreign Affairs Council on Monday.