The Foreign Affairs Ministers of Malta and Spain, Ian Borg and José Manuel Albares, co-chaired a meeting of the nine MED-9 countries (Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Greece, Malta, Cyprus, Slovenia, and Croatia), which primarily focused on the situation in Gaza and the Middle East
During this first foreign affairs ministerial meeting of the MED-9, a group that represents 45% of the EU's population and the presidency of which is currently held by Malta, emphasis was placed on the special relationship with the Middle Eastern countries and the desire to advance coordination and cooperation between the partners was expressed.
Minister Albares has reiterated that Spain shall, for his part, continue to be strongly committed to promoting peace in the Middle East and towards ensuring the protection of the Palestinian civilian population. He also pointed out that our country will strengthen humanitarian action within the region. In the opinion of the head of Spanish diplomacy, the ministerial meeting of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), to be held next week in Barcelona, will be fundamental to the peace and stability of the region and to making the holding of a peace conference a reality in order to materialise the solution for two mutually acknowledged States.
The second part of the MED-9 meeting in Madrid was dedicated to the relationship with the countries of the Southern Neighbourhood, a region with which the MED-9 shares both interests and challenges, and the stability of which is fundamental to the stability of Europe.
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Photos: Pepe Méndez