Arab-European summit to tackle trade, immigration, security: EU’s amb.

CAIRO – 20 February 2019: Trade, investment, immigration and security will be among the top priority issues to be discussed during the upcoming Arab-European summit due on February 24 and 25 in Sharm El-Sheikh, according to Ambassador of the European Union to Egypt Ivan Surkos.

He added in statements to Egypt Today on Wednesday that the cooperation between the European Union, the Arab league, European Council and the European Commission will enhance communication between the European and Arab regions and will boost stability in both regions.

He said that the summit will be a great opportunity to discuss several issues and challenges of mutual interest, especially illegal immigration and terrorism.

The conflicts in Syria, Yemen and Libya will also be on the discussion table during the summit, along with the climate change challenge.

On February 18, President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi announced that the upcoming Arab-European summit will be a good platform to hold more discussions on the illegal migration file.

"Sharm El-Sheikh conference is a key step towards more cooperation that will be followed by other steps,” President Sisi said, adding that the instability of some Arab countries led to the illegal migration inbound to Europe.

The two-day summit will gather, for the first time, heads of the member states of the Arab League and the European Union. It will be co-chaired by President Sisi and President of European Council Donald Tusk, according to the EU’s statement.

Egypt and the European Union held several discussions to reach a deal to curb the illegal migration phenomenon as it was reported by Financial Times and Anadolu Agency. Egypt announced that not a single illegal migration case crossed the Mediterranean Sea to Europe from its shores, pushing the European Union to count more on Cairo to curb this phenomenon.