Donald Tusk – LAS-EU-Photo EU Council
(SHARM EL SHEIKH) Leaders of the EU and the League of Arab States meeting for the first ever summit between the two regions agreed Tuesday to strengthen cooperation particularly on border control and the fight against irregular migration.
The summit marked the start of a new dialogue between the EU and the LAS. Leaders committed to hold EU-LAS summits regularly, with the next summit set to take place in Brussels in 2022.
“It is time to get real about partnership between the Arab world and Europe,” .said EU Council president Donald Tusk, who co-chaired the meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi.
Mr Tusk said: “The global rules-based order is clearly under threat. We have agreed here in Sharm El-Sheikh that both sides will work together to defend it. Multilateral solutions remain the best way to address threats to international peace and security.”
Leaders agreed to deepen Arab-European ties to enhance the stability, prosperity, and well-being of the two regions.The said they would boost cooperation towards security, conflict resolution and socio-economic development throughout the region.
The leaders also committed to working more closely together to address the root causes of terrorism and to continue joint efforts to combat foreign terrorist fighters.
They also reaffirmed the need to strengthen economic cooperation between the two regions to spur investment and sustainable growth.
The sides agreed to increase cooperation between the LAS, EU, the UN and the African Union. They also reiterated their commitment to the 2030 agenda for sustainable development, as well as the implementation of the Paris agreement.
In addition, leaders renewed their commitment to the upholding of all aspects of international human rights law.
The summit provided an opportunity for leaders to discuss the latest developments in the region. Both sides stressed that addressing regional crises requires political solutions in accordance with international law.
Leaders reaffirmed their common positions on the Middle East Peace Process and their commitment to reaching a two-state solution. Leaders also had thorough discussions on ways to achieve political solutions in Syria, Libya and Yemen in line with relevant UN resolutions.
The League of Arab States is the only pan-Arab grouping gathering all Arab countries. It includes 22 member states from Africa and the Middle East: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
Syria’s membership was suspended in 2011, and it did not participate in the summit.
