Mohamed Abou El-Enein, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean (PA-UfM), expressed his pride in the meeting he held with Ms. Dubravka Šuica, European Commissioner for the Mediterranean, on the sidelines of the Parliamentary Summit of the Three Seas Initiative, which was held in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia.
The meeting addressed ways to enhance cooperation and constructive engagement between the two sides, particularly in the fields of education, training, and youth capacity-building, in addition to exchanging views on developments in the regional and international arenas.
Both sides stressed the importance of avoiding military escalation in the region and the necessity of prioritizing political and diplomatic solutions in order to preserve security and stability.
Abou El-Enein affirmed that Egypt plays a pivotal role in efforts aimed at de-escalation and stability in the Middle East, whether with regard to developments related to the Iranian crisis or the situation in Palestine. He highlighted the intensive diplomatic efforts and shuttle visits carried out by His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to the Gulf states, as part of the Egyptian leadership’s efforts to prevent the widening of the conflict across the region.
Abou El-Enein also praised the positive steps taken by the European Union to enhance and upgrade relations with Egypt to the level of a strategic partnership, stressing the importance of building on this momentum to further strengthen bilateral cooperation.
He added that a large number of members of the European parliaments participating in the summit in Zagreb expressed their desire to attend the PA-UfM Plenary Session, scheduled to be held in Cairo in early July, in recognition of the Assembly’s important role in promoting parliamentary dialogue and cooperation between the countries of both shores of the Mediterranean.
For her part, Commissioner Dubravka Šuica expressed her appreciation for Egypt’s role in de-escalation efforts in the Middle East, affirming that the diplomatic moves and efforts led by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi have played a significant role in containing tensions and preventing further escalation in the region. She also praised Egypt’s constructive role in supporting regional stability and enhancing cooperation throughout the Mediterranean region.
