Press Releases

With a focus on the worsening crisis in the Middle East, the leaders of the European South are meeting today for the 11^th Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the nine Southern EU countries (MED9), in Pafos, in Cyprus.

The President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr Nikos Christodoulides, has just started welcoming participants at the venue of the Summit, Minthis Resort, in Pafos.

The Summit, which is presided over by the Republic of Cyprus, will be attended by the President of the Republic of France, Mr Emmanuel Macron, the Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic, Mr Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Spain, Mr Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Italy, Ms Giorgia Meloni, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, Mr Andrej Plenkovic, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Malta, Mr Robert Abela, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Mr Robert Golob, and the Minister of State and Foreign Affairs of the Portuguese Republic, Mr Paulo Rangel.

His Majesty the King of Jordan Abdullah II bin Al Hussein, H.R.H. the Crown Prince of Jordan Hussein bin Abdullah II, the President of the European Commission, Ms Ursula von der Leyen, and the Secretary of State for European Affairs of the Kingdom of Spain, Mr Fernando Sampedro, will also participate in part of the MED9 Summit.

The concerning developments in the Middle East region, Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine and the resulting political, economic and social pressures will be at the centre of the MED9 leaders' discussions in an effort to coordinate on common challenges. 

At the same time, the leaders will address the priorities of the MED9 countries in the new institutional cycle of the European Union EU in the light of the Strategic Agenda 2024-2029, with a view to keeping the Mediterranean at the heart of the Union's priorities.

The Summit programme includes a working luncheon with the situation in the Middle East as the main topic of discussion and two working sessions on EU-Jordan relations and Mediterranean priorities for the new EU institutional cycle.

The Summit will conclude in the afternoon with the adoption of a Joint Declaration and a joint press conference of Heads of State and Government.

In the framework of the Summit, the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr Nikos Christodoulides, will have a private meeting with the King of Jordan, as well as bilateral meetings with his European counterparts. The President of the Republic of Cyprus will also hold a quadripartite meeting with the King of Jordan, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Italy and the President of the European Commission, Ms Ursula von der Leyen.

(AP)