MED9 Ministerial Meeting in Madrid concludes
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Ioannis Kasoulides has participated in the EU MED9 Ministerial Meeting in Madrid which concluded today, Tuesday, July 12.
At the heart of the Ministerial discussions were, inter alia, the preparation of the upcoming MED9 Leaders' Summit to be held in September in Alicante, Spain, the assessment of the EU's response and management of the COVID19 pandemic, the situation in Ukraine in the wake of the ongoing Russian invasion and the consequent complications it has caused such as the food crisis, the rise of inflation, the energy supply issues. The Ministers also exchanged views on ways to reinforce the EU's partnership policy with the countries of the Southern Neighbourhood and discussed ideas on upgrading the effectiveness of the MED9 scheme.
In his intervention, Mr. Kasoulides emphasized the importance of continuing and strengthening the informal coordination and consultation mechanism of the 9 Mediterranean states, as a means of free exchange of views and ideas on our common European agenda. He noted that at the current juncture the EU is faced with the complications brought about by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with European economies facing strong inflationary pressures, suffering from austerity waves, and dealing with the consequences of the food crisis and energy supply constraints. The Minister referred to the need to enhance the EU's involvement and cooperation with Southern Neighbourhood countries in order to ensure the prosperity, stability and environmental sustainability of the region.
Before the start of the MED9 meeting, Mr. Kasoulides met at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with his Spanish counterpart Jose Manuel Albares. In the context of a working breakfast, they had the opportunity to review bilateral relations and consider ways of further deepening them in a wide range of areas, and discuss on how we perceive the next steps in the Cyprus issue, the impact of the war in Ukraine following the Russian invasion, as well as other European issues of common interest. Finally, the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs briefed Mr. Kasoulides on the preparations in view of the forthcoming Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2023.
Mr. Kasoulides is traveling this afternoon to London on a working visit.