Arab-European summit comes amid joint challenges: official

CAIRO, Feb 23 (MENA) - The Arab League-European Union summit that will kick off in Sharm el Sheikh on Sunday comes at a critical time that is full of joint challenges facing both the Arab and European worlds, Chairman of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs (ECFA) Ambassador Munir Zahran said on Saturday.

Zahran told MENA that the upcoming summit represents a great opportunity for enhancing the Arab-European cooperation and dialogue, where they will discuss problems of mutual concern and exchange views on various regional and international issues.

This is the first ever platform that brings together the Arab and European heads of state and government to tackle the pressing issues, atop of which terrorism, organized crime and illegal immigration, Zahran said.

Several political issues will be also raised during the summit, topped by the Palestinian cause, Zahran said, stressing the importance of maintaining the unity and territorial integrity of Syria and putting an end to the Libyan and Yemeni crises.

He expressed hope that the Arab and European leaders would reach, during the summit, an agreement that serves their interests.