The President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides has referred to the priorities of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU to bring the EU closer to the wider Middle East region.
This was during a meeting with the Secretary-General of the Arab League, noting that the Presidents of the European Council and the European Commission travel to countries in the region following his own recommendation.
Welcoming the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit on 8 January, the President of the Republic said that "yesterday was a very important day for us. We are glad that you came. One of our three main priorities is to bring the EU much closer to the region and the Arab League must and can play a very important role in this effort.
At the Informal European Council that will take place on 23 and 24 April, we will see in a tangible way and with specific projects, including through the announcement of the EU Pact, how the EU can engage more with the region.
And I am delighted that, following my suggestion, today the President of the European Commission and the President of the European Council are traveling to Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.
I am also glad that we had the first EU-Egypt Summit in Brussels, it was something we had been promoting since 2014, and at the same time, today, we have the first high-level EU-Jordan Council taking place in Jordan, while at the same time we are working to start discussions on a strategic and comprehensive agreement with Lebanon, which is another important country in the region, but also with the wider Middle East, in which I include the Gulf countries.
"Through our discussions today, we will see what else we can do during our Presidency and beyond, to strengthen the EU's relations with the region. We have common challenges, but also great prospects if we work together."
On his part, the Secretary-General of the Arab League thanked for the invitation to attend the official opening ceremony of the Cyprus Presidency, highlighting the significance of this invitation.
(Source: Reporter)
