Bringing the EU closer to the Middle East region is one of the key priorities of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU, said President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, on Thursday, noting that the Arab League can play an important role in this regard.

Welcoming the Secretary General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the President said that “one of our three key priorities is to bring the EU much closer to the region and the Arab League must and can play a very important role in this effort.”

“At the Informal European Council to be held on 23 and 24 April, we will see in a tangible way and with concrete projects, including the announcement of the EU Compact, how the EU can become more involved with the region,” he added.

President Christodoulides also expressed his pleasure at today’s visit of the President of the European Commission and the President of the European Council to Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, following his own suggestion.

At the same time, he expressed his pleasure at the first EU-Egypt Summit in Brussels, noting that “it was something we had been promoting since 2014,” as well as at the first high-level EU-Jordan Council taking place in Jordan. At the same time, he noted that “we are working to start discussions on a strategic and comprehensive agreement with Lebanon, which is another important country in the region, but also with the wider Middle East, in which I include the Gulf countries”.

“Through our discussions today, we will see what else we can do through our Presidency to strengthen EU relations with the region. We have common challenges, but also great prospects if we work together,” he concluded.

On his part, the Secretary General of the Arab League thanked President Christodoulides for the invitation to attend the official opening ceremony of the Cyprus Presidency, highlighting the significance of this invitation.