The European Union and Egypt have expressed their determination to strengthen their dialogue and cooperation at a session in Cairo on 10-11 January of their subcommittee on political matters, human rights and democracy.

The meeting took place at a time when Egypt and the EU are launching a new level of cooperation and dialogue, and a whole set of cooperation priority programmes and projects in a wide range of areas based on their Partnership Priorities 2017-2020.

A joint statement said the two sides had conducted a comprehensive and frank political dialogue covering many issues of mutual interest, on the bilateral, regional and international levels, including the Middle East Peace Process, Syria, Libya, the situation in the Arab region, peace and security in Africa, Nile water issues, non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, Euro-Mediterranean cooperation including cross border cooperation and the Union for the Mediterranean.

They took stock of the latest developments in all these issues and explored ways to further promote their dialogue and cooperation, including in multilateral fora, to foster their efforts towards attaining peace and stability in the Mediterranean and beyond.

They also focused on cooperation in the areas of human rights, democracy, the rule of law and fighting corruption. They took stock of the positive steps taken, as well as challenges faced in these areas by both sides and emphasised the importance of pursuing their dialogue and cooperation to further achieve more concrete progress in line with their constitutional and international obligations. The statement “recognised that some differences of views on some issues are a natural part of a vibrant and constructive dialogue among partners.”

“Both sides recognized the importance of benefitting from the experience of the past few years, and expressed their determination to strengthen their dialogue and cooperation through a comprehensive and balanced approach in addressing all areas of mutual interest and common challenges, in the interest of both Egypt, the EU and the Middle East at large,” the joint statement concluded.

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Press release

EU Delegation to Egypt