Developments in the Middle East, relations between the European Union (EU) and Jordan and Mediterranean priorities regarding the new EU institutional cycle will be the focus of today’s 11th Summit of Mediterranean Member States of the European Union (MED9) hosted in Paphos.
According to a press release from the Press and Information Office, the MED 9 group includes, in addition to Cyprus, which is chairing this year, France, Greece, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Malta, Portugal, Spain, Portugal and Slovenia.
The King of Jordan and the President of the European Commission have been invited and will also attend today’s meeting of Southern European leaders.
The Summit will be preceded by bilateral meetings and will be followed by a working lunch to discuss developments in the Middle East.
Two consecutive working meetings will then be held. The first will focus on EU-Jordan relations, while the second will discuss Mediterranean priorities for new institutional cycle.
It is reported that a joint press conference of
the Med9 Heads of State and Government will be held in the afternoon.
The MED9 group was established in 2013 on the initiative of the Republic of Cyprus, with the aim of strengthening the voice, role and cooperation initially among the seven Mediterranean EU Member States – France, Greece, Spain, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Portugal and Cyprus – while Slovenia and Croatia were added in 2021.
Moreover, the Government Spokesman, Konstantinos Letymbiotis, in statements highlighted the importance of holding the MED9 meeting in Cyprus, noting that Cyprus is a factor of stability for the European Union in the region and part of the solution to the challenges of the region and this is internationally recognised.
“By hosting MED9 in Cyprus at this critical time for the wider region, we aim to contribute to the efforts being made to de-escalate the crisis, but also to the more active and substantial engagement of the European Union in our wider region,” he said.
Source: Cyprus News Agency