Kasoulidis underlined the importance of strengthening MED9

The work of the ministerial meeting of the 9 Mediterranean States of the EU, which took place in Madrid and was attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ioannis Kasoulidis, was completed today in Madrid.

According to a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in his intervention, Mr. Kasoulidis emphasized the importance of continuing and strengthening the informal coordination and consultation mechanism of the 9 Mediterranean states, as a means of free exchange of views and ideas on the common European agenda.

He noted that at the current juncture the EU is faced with the complications brought about by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with European economies facing strong inflationary pressures, suffering from austerity waves, and dealing with the consequences of the food crisis and energy supply.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs referred to the need to strengthen the EU's engagement and cooperation with Southern Neighborhood countries in order to ensure the prosperity, stability and environmental sustainability of the region.

At the heart of the Ministers' discussions were, among other things, the preparation of the upcoming MED9 Leaders' Summit to be held in September in Alicante, Spain, the evaluation of the EU's response to the management of the pandemic COVID-19, the situation in Ukraine in the wake of the ongoing Russian invasion and the resulting complications it has brought about such as the food crisis, rising inflation, energy supply. The Ministers also exchanged views on ways to strengthen the EU's corporate policy with the countries of the Southern Neighborhood, while finally they discussed ideas for upgrading the effectiveness of the MED9 scheme.

Before the start of the MED9 meeting, Mr. Kasoulidis met at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with his Spanish counterpart Jose Manuel Albarez. In the context of a working breakfast, they had the opportunity to review bilateral relations and consider ways of further strengthening them in a wide range of areas, the way in which our side perceives the next steps in the Cyprus issue, the complications of the war in Ukraine following the Russian invasion, as well as other European issues of common interest. Finally, the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs informed about the preparations in view of Spain taking over the Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2023.

Mr. Kasoulidis is leaving this afternoon for London where he will make a working visit.

KYPE