Brussels, 26/05/2011 (Agence Europe) - During their monthly meeting in Barcelona, on Wednesday 25 May, senior officials responsible for Euromed dialogue appointed Youssef Amrani of Morocco as the secretary general of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) (see EUROPE 10381).
Currently the secretary general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Amrani received the support of the whole Arab group and of France, which currently co-presides the UfM. As soon as the decision was made known, Amrani issued a statement to the agency, MAP, reported in the Moroccan media. He said his appointment was a powerful political signal and the sign that the 43 UfM member nations were grateful for King Mohammed VI's vision of a “renewed Euro-Mediterranean architecture”. Amrani, whose statement was cited in Maroc Journal, also said it was a success for Moroccan diplomacy, and underlined, according to that source, that the appointment is one of great responsibility given the expectations and the huge challenges to be faced in the new regional and international context. It is also a heavy responsibility given the new opportunities and parameters that should govern relations between the countries of the region, with a view to giving fresh impetus to the Euro-Mediterranean cooperation architecture, he said, affirming that this comes at a time when the EU is reflecting on the future of the new parameters of cooperation and neighbourhood policy.
Alain Juppé, France's Minister for Foreign Affairs, said in a press release: “We are counting on Mr Amrani to implement cooperation projects able to accompany reforms and movements in the southern Mediterranean. Several sectors must be given special attention: youth, mainly through the proposed Mediterranean youth office, civil society, economic development, renewable energies and civil protection.” (F.B./transl.jl)