Foreign Affairs Ministers of the 5 + 5 Dialogue meet online to renew their commitment to collective security and partnership in the Western Mediterranean

• The Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean, Nasser Kamel, attended the 16th Meeting of Foreign Ministers “Dialogue 5 + 5”, hosted in digital format by the Tunisian and Maltese Co-Presidencies.   
• The Ministers  welcomed the “the driving role of the UfM as a special platform for dialogue and regional cooperation, bringing together all the Mediterranean countries and the European Union.”   
• The ministerial conference coincides this year with the 30th anniversary of the Western Mediterranean Dialogue and the 25th anniversary of the Barcelona Process.  

 Barcelona, 22 October 2020. The Foreign Affairs Ministers of the “5+5 Dialogue”, which includes 5 countries from the Northern shore of the Mediterranean (Spain, France, Italy, Malta and Portugal) and 5 from the Southern shore (Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia) met today online for a conference under the title “Together for Collective Security and Partnership in the Western Mediterranean”.    

The 16th Ministerial Meeting of Foreign Affairs, organised by the Tunisian-Maltese co-presidency, coincided with the 30th anniversary of the Rome Declaration and gave special attention to the issue of regional security, as well as the promotion of inclusive and shared development, youth and employment, migration and sustainable development.   

The  final declaration of this Ministerial Conference  welcomed the “the driving role of the UfM as a special platform for dialogue and regional cooperation, bringing together all the Mediterranean countries and the European Union.” Acknowledging the celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Barcelona Process this year and in the context of the preparations of the 5th UfM Regional Forum, the Ministers reaffirmed their attachment to this regional framework of dialogue and cooperation and reiterated their commitment to further strengthen it. 

In his intervention UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel, highlighted the essential work of platforms such as the UfM and the 5+5 Forum to improve political and sectorial cooperation among Member States. He also took the opportunity to congratulate the holding of the ministerial meeting between the EU and the Southern Neighborhood countries on the 26th of November the day before the UfM Regional Forum.