Egypt praised over fighting terrorism in 5th PA-UfM

CAIRO – 30 April 2018: The fifth summit of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean (PA-UfM) reflects higher realization of its risks, said Prime Minister Sherif Ismail on Saturday. The summit aims to highlight the ways to combat terrorism in the Mediterranean region.

During the fifth PA-UfM entitled “Combating Terrorism in the Euro-Mediterranean Region,” Ismail added that the summit provides a framework for multilateral cooperation in order to face common challenges and threats in the region.

Additionally, Egypt’s parliamentary speaker Ali Abdel Aal, president of the PA-UfM, has hoped that this summit would help promote cooperation mechanisms to combat terrorism and its effects in the region.

He further remarked that countries should politically, economically and culturally coordinate in different fields, such as technology and science, to address cross border risks and challenges, of which terrorism comes at the top.

As for illegal immigration, he referred that it has become a pressing issue in recent years owing to wars and economic and political unrest in some countries as millions flee in search for security and peace, and Egypt is one of the countries that has suffered from this phenomenon.

On the other hand, Abdel Aal added that the Palestinian cause reveals the failure of the international community in implementing the resolutions of the United Nations and the Security Council, and in settling the cause in accordance with the international references to establish Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital.

In the same context, speaker of the Parliament of Malta Anġlu Farrugia welcomed the opportunity to reconvene and exchange ideas on ongoing challenges in the region, referring that this year’s topic is based on the excellent discussions held during the 2017 summit.

He added that inter-parliamentary dialogue is an important tool to ensure that parliaments are equipped with the best knowledge on how to address evolving terrorist threats.

In this regard, Members of the European Parliament praised Egypt’s efforts and attempts to combat terrorism, which is the biggest challenge before achieving international peace.

Egyptian House of Representatives hosted on Saturday and Sunday meetings of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean (PA-UFM), which is an inter-parliamentary organization that brings parliaments of the Mediterranean region together to enhance regional cooperation and dialogue in the Euro-Mediterranean region, and the fifth Assembly of the Heads of Parliaments of the member states of the PA-UfM.