Meeting in Marseille on Friday 28 October under joint Franco-Moroccan chairmanship (see EUROPE 11656), the foreign affairs ministers of the countries of the Western Mediterranean reiterated their firm belief that they are united by many bonds, share a common destiny and must act together to tackle the political, security and economic challenges facing them, particularly as regards the future of youth and migration.
These countries, meeting for their 5+5 dialogue, are five member states of the EU from the Mediterranean area (Spain, Portugal, France, Italy and Malta) and all the members of the Arab Maghreb Union (Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Mauritania).
The way our countries will meet the crises and problems of our region is together, they agreed, according to direct sources, stressing that they have undertaken jointly to deepen their relations in all areas, particularly in all human matters, to make their common area a zone of peace and shared prosperity for future generations. This will be done, according to their joint conclusions, by reinforcing cooperation and complementarity and acting together within the various bodies active for the region (EU, Mediterranean Union, Arab Maghreb Union, the Anna Lindh cultural foundation and the Euro-Arab liaison bureau of Valetta).
They see stabilising the region as an urgent necessity. The 5+5 dialogue will remain an informal structure and will act through these organisations and under the supervision of their ten member governments. Sectorial dialogue will be prioritised to deepen cooperation regarding youth, employment for women and promoting their role in society, reducing the digital divide, supporting SMEs, protecting the environment and fostering sustainable development.
Algeria, which has just acceded to the co-presidency of the '5+5' for two years, plans to shore up this approach further and stresses that it has already taken the initiative of an agriculture and food security segment, another devoted to renewable energies and the environment and, more recently, another segment on water resources, as well as on the protection of the Western Mediterranean shore and rescues at sea, the country's foreign affairs minister, Ramtane Lamamra, announced. He added that it was his country's intention to deepen this dialogue on all political themes and all issues.
Algeria feels that its role is particularly important on the theme of security and the fight against terrorism and radicalisation. Its foreign minister has announced that a ministerial meeting of the '5+5 Defence' (which his country has chaired since January 2016) will be held in Algiers in December of this year. He went on to say that the fight against terrorism required a multi-dimensional approach to eradicating the phenomenon, adding that his country, which has suffered under the throes of terrorism, has succeeded in defeating the plague and coming out of crisis alone, victorious, and with experience it is prepared to share with all of its partners.
The question of migrants was raised and the shared conclusion is that a global and balanced approach is required, bringing together the control of illegal flows and incentives for human exchanges. Facilitated mobility has, according to direct sources, always prevailed in the history of the Mediterranean and this can be achieved by stressing the enrichment of diasporas. It is also important to ensure that Maghreb communities settled in Europe are sheltered from xenophobic, racist and Islamaphobic consequences, the Algerian minister, the new co-president until the end of 2018, is reported to have stressed.
The ministers exchanged their views on the conflict in the region and in the Middle East (Libya, Syria, Iraq and Palestine) and particularly emphasised their reiterated support of the government of Fayez Sarraj. There is no option other than the one opened up by the Libyan political agreement signed on 17 December 2015 in Skhirat, the ten ministers said, clearly stressing that in their view, the only possible solution is a political one. (Original version in French by Fathi B'Chir)