Cooperation between the EU and the League of Arab States is vital in the fight against terrorism, President Klaus Iohannis said, underscoring that Romania strongly opposes all forms of terrorism and violent extremism.
“In respect to the fight against terrorism, the cooperation between the European Union and the League of Arab States is vital. Just as important are regional involvement in fighting terrorism, increasing local accountability and international support, when needed. Romania strongly opposed all forms of terrorism and violent extremism. We should focus on primarily solving their profound causes. The key elements in this regard are the development of resilience and increased co-operation,” the head of state said at the first EU-League of Arab States Summit, which takes place in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, on Sunday and Monday.
He underscored that developments in the region over the last few years have seen a number of crises, which, despite the efforts of local actors and the international community, continue to affect everyone’s security.
“Any solution to such crises should take into account the standpoints, opinions and sensitivities of the states in the region, starting with the most affected ones,” Iohannis stated, when reiterating Romania’s main point of view that these crises can only be solved peacefully, through open dialogue.
President Klaus Iohannis said he endorses a closer cooperation between the European Union and the League of Arab States, showing that this strong partnership is needed in order to find common solutions to current issues, such as migration, radicalization and terrorism.
“I fully support a pragmatic, realistic and ever closer cooperation between the European Union and the League of Arab States, as the only way to produce concrete results. We need a strong partnership in order to find common solutions to our current problems, which post various risks, such as migration, radicalization and terrorism, but also in order to tackle medium and long-term challenges, such as climate change, sustainable development and job creation. To that end, we need to come up with concrete common projects that can produce the changes our nations expect,” President Iohannis said.
He stressed that the economy is the “engine of positive transformation.”
“The European Union and the League of Arab States, the member states of these organizations, respectively, need to work together for a stronger economic integration at regional level and between our regions,” the head of state showed.
President Iohannis also mentioned that this integration should also focus on promoting and facilitating the free exchange of goods and services, as well as investments.
“Trade and investments contribute to sustainable development, poverty reduction and job creation. Moreover, it ensures that our countries and regions are open to each other more than any other political approach,” he said.
The head of state reiterated that migration remains an important challenge.
“We have to tackle the profound causes of this phenomenon and work closely with the countries of origin and transit. I am convinced that only through in-depth partnerships and cooperation we will be efficient in this regard.”
On Saturday, President Klaus Iohannis carried out consultations with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and a tete-a-tete meeting with President of the European Council Donald Tusk.
The EU-League of Arab States meeting is chaired by European Council President Donald Tusk, alongside Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
