LAS-EU Summit: Sisi Receives King Salman in Sharm El-Sheikh

By Nawal Sayed

CAIRO, Feb. 23 (SEE) - Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud arrived in Sharm El-Sheikh resort city, Egypt, Saturday with a high-ranking Saudi delegation on an official visit to participate in the Arab-European summit to be held from February 24 to 25, Saudi News Agency, SPA, reported.

Earlier, 24 European leaders, senior officials and several ambassadors of 28 European countries and 21 Arab leaders arrived in Egypt to participate in the Arab-European summit.

The summit will be co-chaired by President Abdel

Fatah El-Sisi and President of the European Council Donald Tusk. 

Workers prepare the International Congress Centre a day before the first EU Arab League Summit starts in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, February 23, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

Sisi received King Salman by himself at Sharm El-Sheikh airport, and this showed how close relations and appreciation that the Egyptian president has to the Saudi King.

The participants will discuss mutual challenges and boost bilateral cooperation opportunities.

The Arab-European Summit is also known as LAS-EU

Summit. LAS stands for the League of the Arab States, while EU stands for the

European Union.

This is the first ever platform that brings together the Arab and European heads of state and government to tackle the pressing issues, atop of which terrorism, organized crime and illegal immigration. 

The leaders will address a wide range of issues and common challenges, such as multilateralism, trade and investment, migration, security and the situation in the region.

Chairman of the Egyptian Council for Foreign

Affairs (ECFA) Ambassador Munir Zahran told MENA that the summit represents a

great opportunity for enhancing the Arab-European cooperation and dialogue,

where they will discuss problems of mutual concern and exchange views on

various regional and international issues. 

"Several political issues will be also raised during the summit, topped by the Palestinian cause", Zahran said, stressing the importance of maintaining the unity and territorial integrity of Syria and putting an end to the Libyan and Yemeni crises.

Egypt’s Sharm el Sheikh International Airport is on high alert in preparation for receiving the high guests and heads of Arab and European countries, said the Egyptian Ministry of Civil Aviation in statement on Thursday. 

On February 18, Sisi said that “Sharm El-Sheikh

conference is a key step towards more cooperation that will be followed by

other steps,” adding that the instability of some Arab countries led to the

illegal migration to Europe. 

An Egyptian man passes at the International Congress Centre a day before the first EU-Arab League Summit in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, February 23, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

“Not a single illegal migration case has crossed

the Mediterranean Sea from Egyptian shores since September 2016,"

President Sisi announced, adding that his country held a series of bilateral

talks with a number of European countries to deal with illegal migration from

Africa to Europe. 

“Egypt hosts millions of registered and unregistered migrants who are

integrating into the Egyptian society,” Sisi continued. 

According to a statement issued by the EU, leaders from both sides will seek to

strengthen Arab-European ties.

The meeting is expected to end with a press conference on Monday, Feb.

25. It will take place in the International Congress Centre in Sharm

El-Sheikh.