Mediterranean Union/PA minister meet to strengthen co-operation

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During the working session, the parties discussed how to strengthen cooperation between the UfM and the Palestinian Authority in the implementation of concrete socio-economic development projects.


UfM Secretary General Sijilmassi reiterated to the Palestinian Minister the strong commitment of the Secretariat to support the Palestinian Authority by ensuring the implementation of new concrete projects in order to enable the Palestinian people to face the crucial development challenges and to secure growth and development in the region. (EU Neighbourhood Info)

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Re: Mediterranean Union/PA minister meet to strengthen co-operation

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http://jordantimes.com/article/jorda...ency-next-week

Jordan will later this month be announced as the president of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) for a two-year term, a senior UfM official said.

Sijilmassi, who met in Amman on the same day with Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh and other key officials and lawmakers, described Jordan as a key political player regionally and globally that is capable of rendering the union more active and effective.
“I am confident that Jordan will be very successful in steering the Union for the Mediterranean, and in being articulate on the priorities and needs of Arab countries in the southern Mediterranean in coordination with the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States,” he said.

Sijilmassi said the expectation the EU and the Arab region have in Jordan come at a critical stage “in light of the big hopes and ambitions the UfM holds”, citing the need to strengthen cooperation between countries on the two shores of the Mediterranean.

Highlighting the role the UfM can play during the current developments in the Middle East, the secretary general said the Mediterranean region is witnessing a new reality that requires greater coordination between players.


With regards to the Palestinian issue, the official said Palestine enjoys full membership in the union, adding that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas visited the headquarters of the secretariat of the union in July 2011 and held talks over means of cooperation and on how the UfM can assist the Palestinian Authority in enhancing local development.

“The achievement of a just peace in the Middle East remains a key demand to create an atmosphere conducive to push the Euro-Mediterranean cooperation forward. It was in this context that the first draft was adopted in the framework of the Union for the Mediterranean to create a station to provide 100 million cubic metres of clean water to some 1.7 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip at a cost of 310 million euros,” he said.

Partners meet on a regular basis at the level of senior officials of the foreign affairs departments of the 43 member countries, EU institutions and the Arab League. Senior officials meetings oversee and coordinate the work of the union.