Rome - Ali Abdul Aal, Speaker of the Egyptian House of Representatives, called for European countries to increase their funding to Egypt being it a southern Mediterranean country, assuring the state's keenness to implement the provisions of its constitution and considers that fighting terrorism in Egypt is one of the actions needed to achieve development. In Rome, during his participation in the Fourth Summit for Speaker for Parliaments, Abdul Aal gave a speech titled, ‘Sustainable Development in the Euro Mediterranean Region' in which he called Italy a ‘best friend' and expressed his gratitude for the fine hospitality he received in Rome. He did not mention the case of Regini, the Italian student who was killed in Cairo, which is a very sensitive topic between the two countries. Abdel Aal explained that Egypt has always implemented international measures to achieve sustainable development especially since the constitution mandates raising actual growth rate of the national economy, raising the standard of living, increasing employment opportunities, reducing unemployment rates and eradicating poverty. To reach the above goal, Abdel Aal stated that a national agenda has been drawn to achieve sustainable development by 2030 - to improve the investment opportunities, to promote human resources, to implement social justice and to provide a decent standard of living for citizens. He added, "Egypt has an ambitious goal in achieving sustainable development goals, not only for its important role in achieving economic stability, but also for its equally important role in countering terrorism, based on the need to develop a comprehensive approach in the face of this abhorrent phenomenon, the development approach must be adopted.' The Speaker stressed that achieving the requirements of sustainable development and facing the challenges associated with them requires more European investment to the countries of the south Mediterranean. This is of special importance in labor-intensive production and service sectors, including the transfer of knowledge and technology as well as increasing the support of those countries which are receiving refugees from the south of the Mediterranean. He added, "Achieving the objectives of sustainable development in our Euro Mediterranean region is a goal that unites the countries of the region on both its northern and southern shores, which obliges us to intensify cooperation in many areas to put these goals into practice."
