EU - League of Arab States relations: joint communiqué of the EU Political and Security Committee and the League of Arab States Permanent Representatives

Representatives of the European Union and the Permanent Representatives of the League of Arab States held the sixth meeting of the EU Political and Security Committee and the League of Arab States Permanent Representatives on the 28th of November 2017 in Brussels. The working groups for cooperation between the League of Arab States and the European Union were also convened on the margins of the meeting.

 The Ambassadors held constructive discussions on the current regional challenges facing both Europe and the Arab world, with a particular focus on the Palestinian Question and ways to push the peace process forward, on developments of the situations in Syria, Libya, Yemen, Iraq, as well as on counter-terrorism, irregular migration, refugees and displaced persons, and on Iran. Acknowledging the importance of joining efforts to address common political, economic, social, and security challenges which threaten the stability of their common region, they welcomed the strengthening of the Euro-Arab partnership as an appropriate regional response. To this regard, they recalled the reference in the last EU-LAS Ministerial Declaration (Cairo, 2016) to the organisation of an EU-LAS Summit. They also highlighted the importance of the role played by the Arab Ambassadors in Brussels in enhancing the Euro Arab partnership, and the means to deal with common challenges. 

Since the launch of the EU-LAS Strategic Dialogue on November 2015, it has been agreed to continue developing the Euro-Arab operational cooperation, particularly in the fields of conflict prevention, early warning and crisis management, humanitarian assistance, counter-terrorism, transnational organised crime, nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.

Conscious of the challenges and the opportunities lying ahead for Euro-Arab relations, the Political and Security Committee and the Arab Permanent Representatives expressed their determination to work together for a safer and better future for all.