On June 18th, the Secretary General of the League of Arab States Ahmed Aboul Gheit and High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission Josep Borrell met at the Headquarters of the League of Arab States (LAS) in Cairo.  They discussed topics of common interest and ongoing cooperation between LAS and the EU.

Both re-confirmed the importance of the LAS-EU partnership, particularly against the background of the fast-paced geopolitical changes. The SG and the HRVP discussed recent developments in the MENA region and in Europe.

They welcomed the recent ceasefire in Sudan and called on the parties involved to commit to a lasting cessation of hostilities and the restoration of calm, stability and peace.

Particular attention was paid to the conflict between Israel and Palestine. They both expressed concern over the current situation in the OPT and their commitment to continue to work together in order to bring about peace based on the two-state solution. The HRVP and Secretary General also exchanged views on the next steps of the trilateral efforts of the EU, LAS and Saudi Arabia in order to enhance the Arab Peace Initiative.

They also discussed issues related to conflicts in Yemen, Libya and Syria.

On Syria, the HRVP raised the issue of the recent de-freezing of Syria’s membership at the League of Arab States, recalling that the EU’s position on Syria will not change until requisite progress has been achieved on the implementation of UNSCR 2254. He also expressed interest in the work of the Arab Contact Group established for this purpose.  The SG expressed LAS position on the issue and explained the background of the sovereign decision of the Council in this regard.

They called for ending the war on Ukraine, in order to achieve a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in line with the Charter of the United Nations. They exchanged in particular on the consequences of the war on global energy and food security.

Both the SG and the HRVP recognized the long-standing cooperation in the framework of the Strategic Dialogue between the General Secretariat of LAS and the European External Action Service launched in November 2015, on all issues particularly in the fields of crisis management, climate and security, counter terrorism, migration, and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and arms control. They also took note of the exchanges between the two institutions on various issues including human rights and food security. Both agreed that the well-established working level relations between the two institutions should continue.