Cyprus considers the initiative of the Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to hold the Med Group (Cyprus, Greece, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Malta) summit in Athens as particularly significant, the Cypriot government spokesman Nicos Christodoulides on Thursday said in exclusive statements to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency.
The group was established three years ago, at the initiative of the Cypriot Foreign Minister, Ioannis Kasoulides. “The summit of Athens is the first meeting of the group, held at the level of heads of state and government.”
“The summit of the South” is considered essential in view of the forthcoming informal summit meeting of EU leaders to be held in Bratislava on September 16, focused on the future of Europe following the outcome of the British referendum,” he stressed.
“The aim of the summit is the positive, constructive and complementary contribution of the Group to this debate,” Christodoulides stated.
The Cypriot government spokesman underlined that “another burning issue of the meeting in Athens will be migration, and the need for full respect and implementation of the principle of solidarity between EU member states.“
“This issue,” he said, “is one of the most critical issues Europe is faced with today, since the Mediterranean countries have to deal with most of the pressure.”
Particularities of the Mediterranean region
Regarding the economy and growth, he noted that “it is particularly important for leaders to express their positions through the exchange of views to make better understand the particularities of the Mediterranean region in defining the Union’s future policies.” In addition, he noted, there is need for awareness of our other European partners to generate investment prospects in the Mediterranean region.
Christodoulides stressed the important role of the Mediterranean countries to stabilize the European safety structure, since they are the borders of the EU to the Middle East and North Africa.
“In such an unstable region, where there are constant conflicts and where the threat of terrorism always lurks, the Mediterranean basin should become a pillar of peace, stability and cooperation, building bridges between Europe and the Middle East / North Africa,” according to the Cypriot government spokesman.
He also stressed that the Summit of Athens “will support the EU efforts to evaluate the new geopolitical conditions in the region and to define the Union’s future objectives and priorities for cooperation and joint action in security.”
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