On Sunday 18 June, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, underlined the EU’s desire to deepen its engagement and dialogue with the Arab League, while issuing a reminder that the sixth EU/League of Arab States (LAS) ministerial meeting had been postponed due to Syria’s reintegration into the LAS.
“I want to raise the level of cooperation between the European Union and the League of Arab States further”, he explained at a press briefing in Cairo with LAS Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, adding that it was necessary to try to overcome any difficulties that might prevent the two parties from cooperating more and better, in the mutual interest of their peoples.
“The European Union is keenly interested to keep contact with the League of Arab States and in particular, with the League’s Committee on Syria”, said the High Representative.
While “fully” respecting the Arab League’s “sovereign” decision to readmit Syria, Mr Borrell stressed that this decision had been taken “in a situation when [the] Syrian regime did not make any meaningful efforts towards solving the conflict”. He specified that the EU’s position had not changed. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)