PHOTO
BRUSSELS - The meeting of European and Arab leaders in the Egyptian resort of Sharm El Sheikh on Sunday and Monday is "historic" in all sense of the word.
The summit between the 28-member European Union and the 22-member League of Arab States (LAS) will bring together for the first time ever heads of state or government from both sides.
EU High Representative Federica Mogherini in a recent press conference in Brussels lamented that "with the League of Arab states we never had a summit before and this is the paradox of our region." "This is our closest partner in terms of regional dimension, in terms of geography, history and cultures, " she said and noted that the EU holds regular summit with Asia, African Union, Latin America, China and the US , but "we never had a summit with the Arab world."
A senior EU official told journalists in Brussels Friday that leaders from both sides will seek to strengthen Arab-European ties. They will address a wide range of issues and common challenges, such as multilateralism, trade and investment, migration, security, the situation in the region including Palestine, Syria, Yemen, Libya.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that 24 EU leaders out of 28 will be present at the Sharm El-Sheikh a clear indication of the high importance and value that Europe is attaching to the 2-day meeting. European Union Council President Donald Tusk will co-chair the meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. He will represent the EU along with the European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.
Mogherini and the EU Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Johannes Hahn will also attend the summit.
A common past, geographical proximity and interdependence have contributed to strengthen cooperation between the EU and the Arab world. Working together will also further enhance the multilateral, rules based global order, said the official.
"The key word is engagement and this summit is not against anybody," clarified the official.
"We do not see eye-to-eye on all issues as we see reality in different terms. But we agree that there can be no military solutions" (to the regional crises), said the EU official.
The two sides are working on the text for the final statement expected to be released by the summit.
Foreign ministers from the EU and the LAS held a meeting in Brussels on 4 February to prepare for the summit. Kuwait was represented at the ministerial meeting by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khalid Al Hamad Al Sabah.
"Whatever happens in the Arab world affects Europeans and whatever happens in Europe affects the Arab world. We have the responsibility of joining forces to find common solutions to common challenges," Mogherini told reporters after that meeting. (end) nk.mb
All KUNA right are reserved © 2019. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).
