The president of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades will participate in the upcoming EU-Arab League summit, which is set to be held in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh on 24 and 25 February, Cypriot government spokesperson Prodromos Prodromou said in a statement. The summit, which will bee attended by Arab and European heads of state, will be chaired jointly by European Council President Donald Tusk and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi. "President Anastasiades' participation in the summit aims to strengthen relations between the Arab world and the EU, and discuss issues such as immigration/refugees, energy security, climate change, trade and investment, multilateral diplomacy and regional developments," the spokesperson added. Prodromou said that Anastasiades attaches great importance to the European Union's relations with Arab countries, having promoted and supported, particularly within the European Council framework, both the organisation of the Synod and the development of Euro-Arab relations. Prodromos also stressed that due to Cyprus' position, but also on the basis of both the tripartite partnerships that have been developing in recent years and the wider upgrading of the country's relations with the Arab world, Cyprus can play a special role in Euro-Arab relations, to the benefit of security, stability and cooperation in the region. On Wednesday, director-general for Asia, the Middle East and South America affairs at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development Claudia Warning said that German Chancellor Angela Merkel will take part in the summit.
