Speaker of Egypt's parliament Ali Abdel-Aal arrived in Cyprus on Monday to participate in a conference on terrorism and illegal migration. The conference will be attended by parliamentary speakers from the Middle East and Europe. According to a press statement on Monday, Abdel-Aal's participation comes upon an invitation from his Cypriot counterpart. "This conference will witness the participation of speakers of Middle Eastern parliaments for the first time, in response to Cyprus' desire to reinforce cooperation between the Middle East and Europe and exchange views on challenges facing their countries, with a focus on countering terrorism and fighting illegal migration," said the statement. Speaker Abdel-Aal will deliver a speech before the conference's second session on Tuesday. "In this session, which is dedicated to the participation of speakers of Middle Eastern parliaments, Abdel-Aal will address the conference on Egypt's vision on challenges facing the Middle East and Europe and how to overcome them," said the statement. The conference of the speakers of parliaments of small European countries, which is held on an annual basis, aims to reinforce cooperation among small European countries with less than one million in population. The conference, which was held in Monaco in 2006 for the first time, will be hosted by Cyprus this year. "Upon the initiative of Cyprus, speakers of Middle East parliaments will participate for the first time to discuss issues of mutual interest," said the statement.
