President of the European Council Donald Tusk (L), Egypt's President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi (M), King Salman of Saudi Arabia (R) during the opening session of the LAS-EU summit in Sharm el-Sheikh
CAIRO – 25 February 2019: The first League of Arab States-European Union summit, held under the title "Investing in Stability", will discuss Arab-European relations on the political, security and economic levels on its second and last day, presidential spokesman Bassam Radi said.
The rest of the delegations will give speeches in the second general session, Radi said, adding that an interactive closed session will be held for Arab and European leaders to discuss issues of mutual concern. They will also review the updates of the current Arab issues including crises in Syria, Yemen and Libya, as well as the Palestinian cause, Radi continued.
Counter-terrorism efforts, immigration, refugees, and climate change will all be discussed during the closed session of the summit held in Egypt's Sharm El-Sheikh, according to the spokesman.
Radi highlighted the speeches given by world leaders in the summit on Sunday's session, saying that most of them have praised Egypt for hosting this "historical" summit, which is the "first of its kind." He added that this reflects the appreciation of Egypt's special regional and international role, as the country serves as a "bridge" linking different civilizations.
It also reflects the world's trust in Egypt for its pivotal role in preserving the stability of the Middle East, especially amid the tensions witnessed by the region, Radi added.
Moreover, the Arab and African affairs association at the Syndicate of Journalists affirmed Monday that the summit has succeeded in activating Arab-European dialogue.
In a statement, the association praised the unprecedented gathering of such a big number of Arab and European leaders and senior officials who were all keen to mull chances for enhancing joint dialogue and interests, MENA reported.
Head of the association Ashraf Badr said the summit reflected the important status of Egypt as a country seeking to achieve stability, security and prosperity for all world peoples and fight terrorism, extremism and illegal immigration.
The importance of the summit relies in the fact that the EU gave up lecturing others and began taking part in an effective dialogue with the Arab side on all issues of concern, most importantly on security, migration and economic development, he said.
Badr stated that the Arab-European relations are starting a new stage of cooperation and partnership that will help both sides address challenges in a transparent way.
Additional reporting by MENA
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