Middle East and the role of the Union for the Mediterranean in the region on the agenda for Albares' meeting with the UfM Secretary General

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, held today a meeting in Barcelona with the Secretary-General of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), Nasser Kamel. They analysed the situation in the Middle East and the role that this organisation can play in the region's future. The goal is to work together to strengthen collaboration in the Mediterranean and to promote projects that respond to challenges such as education and climate change.

Albares and Kamel also addressed the preparations for the ninth UfM Regional Forum to be held in Barcelona at the end of October. The fifth European Union - Southern Neighbourhood ministerial meeting will take place on the same dates. Both meetings will facilitate necessary, fruitful dialogue between the European Union's partners and the countries on the southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean, both in its multilateral dimension, through the UfM, and bi-regionally, reflected in the European Southern Neighbourhood Policy.

Minister Albares expressed his support for the important role that the UfM plays in the region. He commended the organisation for ensuring the smooth running of its work programme, with the participation of all members, including Israel and Palestine, who have been present at the senior official and sector-specific platform meetings.

The encounter provided an opportunity to discuss the UfM's growing role in high-level political fora, such as the United Nations Security Council and the recent High-Level Conference on Gaza. Accordingly, the Minister for Foreign Affairs expressed Spain's firm commitment to the organisation, both in the open debate on its reform and strengthening, in order to be more effective in responding to the region's challenges, and in the contributions to ensure its continued smooth operation.

Union for the Mediterranean

The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) is an intergovernmental institution that brings together the 27 Member States of the European Union and 16 countries on the southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean to promote dialogue and cooperation. It is based in Barcelona and, over the last year, has increased its political presence in different fora for debate on the Middle Eastern situation. Some of its members have expressed their interest in the UfM contributing to Gaza's stabilisation and reconstruction.