The Subcommittee on Political matters, Human Rights and Democracy- International and Regional Issues- of the Association Agreement between Egypt and the European Union held its sixth meeting at the ministry of foreign affairs’ headquarters in Cairo on 23-24 June.
The meeting discussed many issues of mutual interest, on bilateral, regional, and international levels. The discussions tackled the Middle East peace process, and followed up on the results of the first EU-League of Arab States (LAS) summit, the situation in Syria and Libya, and the outcome of the fifth AU-EU Summit.
Additionally, the meeting addressed peace and security in Africa, Nile water issues, the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, Euro-Mediterranean cooperation including cross border cooperation, as well as the results of the elections of the European Parliament.
Chairperson of the National Bureau for the Implementation of the Association Agreement at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Raouf Saad, represented Egypt in the meeting, while the Deputy Managing Director of Middle East and North Africa at the European External Action Service, Colin Scicluna, represented the EU.
Moreover, the two sides explored ways to further promote their dialogue and cooperation, including in multilateral fora, to foster their efforts toward attaining peace and stability in the Mediterranean and beyond.
They discussed the progress achieved in implementing the 2017-2020 partnership, within the framework of the Egypt-EU Association Agreement, and agreed to continue discussions on the partnership priorities for the next period from 2021.
The meeting also focused on the bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the areas of human rights, democracy, the rule of law, and fighting corruption, in acknowledgment that their cooperation and dialogue are indispensable to achieve their mutual interests and confront their common challenges.
