Cairo – The fourth ministerial meeting between the League of Arab States and the European Union adopted a new roadmap for cooperation, stressing unified stances on the situation in Libya and Yemen and condemning crimes perpetrated by the Syrian regime in Aleppo.
The thirty-eight Arab and EU ministers also called on Iran to respect the principles of “good neighborly” relations and stop its interference in other countries’ affairs.
The meeting, which took place on Tuesday in Cairo, was co-chaired by Tunisian Foreign Minister Khemaies Jhinaoui and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.
On Syria, the foreign ministers welcomed the United Nations Security Council’s decision to deploy international observers to oversee the situation in Aleppo.
“The Ministers finally expressed their commitment to support the reconstruction of Syria only once an inclusive political transition is firmly underway, in order to support the safe return of the millions of Syrian people who have fled their home,” the ministers said in a joint declaration after the meeting.
The statement also said the ministers were concerned with the situation in Aleppo and condemned the recent recapture of the city by Syrian government forces calling the offensive an “indiscriminate attack.”
Regarding the situation in Libya, participants expressed their support to the presidential council and the national unity government.
As for Yemen, the foreign ministers stressed the need to abide by UNSCR 2216, the outcome of Yemeni national dialogue and the Gulf Initiative.
During the ministerial meeting, the sides also discussed counter-terrorism, illegal migration, international crime as well as the conflicts in Libya, Yemen and Iraq.
Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Abul Gheit called on the European Union and the international community to stop Israeli attempts to obtain a non-permanent seat at the Security Council, stressing the necessity to end Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.
For her part, Mogherini strongly condemned latest terrorist attacks in Jordan, Egypt and Berlin, and denounced the assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey, highlighting the need for further international cooperation to fight terrorism.