Abou El-Enein Calls for Stronger Euro-Mediterranean Partnership

Abou El-Enein Calls for Stronger Euro-Mediterranean Partnership and Fair Peace in Middle East

Mohamed Abou El-Enein, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean, has called for a new phase of Euro-Mediterranean cooperation based on peace, development, economic integration, and shared responsibility.

Speaking before the plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean at Egypt’s House of Representatives in the New Administrative Capital on Sunday, 5 July 2026, Abou El-Enein said the region was facing a critical moment as global politics, security, technology, and economic relations undergo major change.

He welcomed parliamentary leaders, senior officials, and delegations from across the Mediterranean, saying Egypt has long stood as a bridge between civilisations, continents, and cultures, and remains a pillar of dialogue, coexistence, and stability.

Abou El-Enein said relations between Mediterranean countries must move beyond geographical proximity towards a real strategic partnership. He stressed that the security of any country is linked to the security of its neighbours, and that prosperity cannot be achieved in isolation from the wider region.

He said the Palestinian issue remains the central cause in the Middle East and a major test of the international community’s commitment to international law, the rejection of occupation, and the right of peoples to self-determination.

Abou El-Enein reaffirmed support for a just and comprehensive settlement based on international legitimacy and the two-state solution, leading to an independent Palestinian state on the borders of 4 June 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

He also warned that the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza must not become normalised or accepted as a permanent reality. He said protecting civilians is a legal and moral duty, while the safe and sufficient delivery of humanitarian aid is an obligation under international conventions.

Abou El-Enein praised Egypt’s efforts, under President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, to mediate the Sharm El-Sheikh agreement to end the war in Gaza, in cooperation with regional and international partners. He also noted Egypt’s humanitarian role in facilitating the entry of aid into Gaza and receiving thousands of wounded Palestinians for treatment in Egyptian hospitals.

However, he warned that the situation remains fragile due to continued violations of the ceasefire agreement, restrictions on aid access, delays in reconstruction, settlement expansion, settler violence, home demolitions, and land confiscation.

He called on the international community to guarantee full implementation of all commitments, secure unrestricted humanitarian access, begin the immediate reconstruction of Gaza, end the occupation, halt unilateral measures, and launch a serious political process with a clear timetable towards a lasting settlement based on the two-state solution.

Turning to regional security, Abou El-Enein said recent tensions, including the military confrontation involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, showed that security cannot be selective. He said wars may begin in limited geographic areas but quickly affect the global economy, energy markets, maritime navigation, supply chains, investment, and food security.

He stressed that peace and security cannot be achieved through war, but through respect for international law, state sovereignty, the United Nations Charter, and the principle of refraining from the use or threat of force.

Abou El-Enein also said peace is essential for sustainable development, while development is the real guarantee of stability. He called for a new stage of Euro-Mediterranean economic integration through stronger trade, infrastructure development, logistical connectivity, clean energy projects, green hydrogen, the blue economy, digital transformation, and artificial intelligence.

He said the true wealth of the Mediterranean lies in its people, adding that empowering youth, increasing women’s participation, improving education, and supporting scientific research are essential foundations for economic growth and long-term stability.

Abou El-Enein said the Mediterranean could become one of the world’s most important economic growth regions if its geographic position is turned into a platform for production, energy, innovation, market connectivity, and global supply chains.

He welcomed the Mediterranean Pact and its action plan as an important opportunity to launch a new phase of Euro-Mediterranean cooperation. However, he said its success would depend not on written commitments, but on concrete results, adequate funding, major investment flows, technology transfer, industrial development, job creation, and a more competitive Euro-Mediterranean economic space.

He said parliamentarians have a responsibility that goes beyond passing legislation, adding that they must protect hope and deliver solutions for younger generations.

Abou El-Enein concluded by saying the peoples of the Mediterranean are not waiting for more statements, but for courageous decisions, real partnerships, and tangible achievements. He said Egypt believes that just peace is the true guarantee of security, and that development is the other face of stability.

He called on Mediterranean countries to choose wisdom over confrontation and cooperation over conflict, in order to leave future generations a safer, more stable, and more prosperous Mediterranean region.