The Principality of Monaco at the VIIIth Regional Forum of the Union for the Mediterranean in Barcelona- UfM
Published on 6 December 2023 at 12:00 - Modified the 27 July 2024 at 12:01
As it does every year, Barcelona hosted the UfM's Regional Forum on 27 November, bringing together ministers from the countries around the Mediterranean that are members of this organisation. The Monegasque delegation was made up of Mrs Isabelle Rosabrunetto, Director General of the Department of External Relations and Cooperation and H.E. Mrs Catherine Fautrier Rousseau, Monaco's Ambassador to Spain.
The 2023 edition of the Regional Forum was to be an opportunity to take stock of the actions carried out to promote cooperation in the Mediterranean region. Given the current situation, the event was devoted to the critical situation in the Middle East and its repercussions throughout the region. All the Mediterranean countries, with the exception of Israel, were represented, as were many foreign ministers from countries on the northern and southern shores of the Mediterranean, the European Union, the Palestinian Authority and representatives of the Arab League.
The co-chairs of the meeting, Mr Josep Borell Fontelles, Vice-President of the European Commission and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and H.E. Mr Ayman Safadi, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, stressed the crucial support of Europe and the Arab League in bringing this war to an end, and the particularly important role played by certain States in the negotiation process for the release of the hostages. They also warned against exacerbating the polarisation of the conflict, which would have global consequences, and called for a successful ‘two-state solution’.
In her speech, Mrs Rosabrunetto stressed the urgent need to work together to ensure that international humanitarian law is applied on the ground. She recalled that the Principality of Monaco will continue, as it has always done, to support international organisations active in the region and to help with economic and social reconstruction, based on cooperation programmes in which Monaco participates, notably through the UfM.
Against this difficult backdrop, the UfM Regional Forum showed that this Euro-Mediterranean organisation is an essential platform for North-South dialogue in the Mediterranean, with a view to building a lasting and inclusive peace.