Leaders of the League of Arab States (LAS) and European Union (EU) member states stressed that bolstering regional cooperation is key to finding solutions to current common challenges. The gatherers had met in Sharm el-Sheikh at the inaugural Arab League-European Union summit that kicked off Sunday and concluded Monday. The summit was held under the auspices of Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi and President of the European Council Donald Tusk. The gatherers pledged to discuss and address common and current challenges across the two regions comprising 12 percent of the world’s population and to embark on a new era of cooperation and coordination, said the concluding statement. “We are confident that strengthened interaction between the member states of LAS and EU has great potential to enhance the stability, prosperity, and well-being of the two regions and the world at large, working in tandem within the multilateral, rules-based global order.” “We acknowledged our rich history of cultural exchanges and strong partnership, and reaffirmed that stronger regional cooperation is key to finding solutions to the current common challenges. We expressed our commitment to share experiences and further deepen the Euro-Arab partnership in order to realize our shared aspirations, to promote peace, stability and prosperity, guarantee security, foster economic, social and technological development and to create mutual opportunities through a collaborative and cooperative approach, placing the people of our regions, and in particular women and young people, at the center of our endeavors.” They expressed their commitment to achieve shared objectives, including tackling common challenges such as the phenomenon of migration, the protection of and support to refugees in accordance with the international law; the upholding of all aspects of international human rights law, and condemnation of all forms of incitement to hatred, xenophobia and intolerance. “We reaffirmed the importance to strengthen economic cooperation between the two sides, establishing a strong partnership based on investment and sustainable development,” continued the statement. “We are committed to developing a positive cooperation agenda especially in the fields of trade, energy, including energy security, science, research, technology, tourism, fisheries, agriculture and other mutually beneficial areas; all with the aim to create wealth, increase growth rates and reduce unemployment to better respond to our peoples’ needs.” “We reiterated that reaching political solutions to the regional crises, in accordance with international law, including international humanitarian law, is key to achieving the peace and prosperity that the peoples of the region need and deserve.” “We reaffirmed our common positions on the Middle East Peace Process, including on the status of Jerusalem, and on the illegality under international law of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. We reiterated our commitment to reaching a two-state solution on the basis of all relevant UN resolutions.” “We had constructive, serious and thorough discussions on recent developments in Syria, Libya and Yemen, and on ways to make progress towards reconciliation and sustainable and peaceful political solutions, in line with relevant UN resolutions. We affirmed the need to preserve the unity, sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of these countries.” “We exchanged concerns on threats to international and regional peace and security, including terrorism, radicalization, destabilizing actions, proliferation, illegal arms trafficking and organized crime. These are serious challenges that require concerted efforts, in accordance with international law, including international human rights law. We acknowledged that peace and security, human rights and economic and social development are mutually reinforcing.” “We discussed the importance of preserving the global nuclear non-proliferation architecture, based on the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and the objective of a Middle East region free of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery.” The gatherers agreed to hold LAS-EU Summits regularly, alternating between Arab and European states, the next one taking place in Brussels in 2022.