Strategic talks with Jordanian Minister of Foreign Affairs
Amman, 29 January 2015. The Jordanian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriate Affairs, Nasser Judeh, held a meeting with the Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean, Fathallah Sijilmassi, during which he discussed the mandate and the activities of the Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean, as well as ways to develop them in order to reinforce the partnership and the cooperation between the member States within the Euro-Mediterranean framework. They also discussed the current mechanisms and the measures that can be adopted to accelerate the UfM activities, and the need to realize the desired objectives within the mandate given to the Secretariat and within the framework of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership. Jordan reaffirmed its support to the Secretary General, who earned the confidence of the member States which have renewed his mandate at the Secretariat for three more years. The discussions also tackled the European Neighbourhood mechanisms in relation to the Southern countries, and the importance of revising and improving them in a way that would reflect on the member States of the Partnership.
The member States approved during their meeting last December the renewal of the Jordanian Co-Presidency for two additional years, given their appreciation for the efforts exerted by Jordan during its mandate as Co-President of the Union for the Mediterranean alongside the European Union, and their appreciation for the important regional and international role assumed by Jordan and its distinguished diplomacy, characterized by moderation and credibility under the leadership of H.H. King Abdullah II of Jordan.
The Union for the Mediterranean is a regional Euro-Mediterranean organization that brings together 43 member States, namely the members of the European Union in addition to the Mediterranean basin countries, with a view to reinforcing regional cooperation between these countries through joint projects in priority areas like Energy, Transport, Environment and Trade, which call for regional cooperation and coordination.
