Southern EU countries to hold summit in Cyprus
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E-mail Xinhua, January 24, 2019
NICOSIA, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Seven southern European Union (EU) Countries will hold a summit in Nicosia on Jan. 29 to discuss issues of special interest to them, but also wider EU issues emerging from Britain's still uncertain withdrawal from the Union, Cypriot Foreign Minister Nicos Christodoulides said on Wednesday.
He said that immigration, energy security, climatic changes and regional issues are of special interest to the seven countries, namely, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta, France, Spain and Portugal.
The heads of state or government of the seven countries will also discuss the multiannual financial framework for 2021-2017 and the upcoming EU-Arab League meeting.
"Given the present state of affairs in EU as it is shaped by the exit of Britain from EU and other issues facing the Union that will be discussed at the May 9 meeting in Romania on Europe's future, the Cyprus summit is of special importance," Christodoulides said in setting out the framework of discussions.
He said that a declaration will be issued after the summit.
The minister said that Cyprus will lay special emphasis on the immigration problem which most southern EU countries are faced with.
Cyprus has repeatedly warned the EU that it can hardly manage the large number of unregulated immigrants arriving in Cyprus. The Ministry of Interior has said that over 4,000 immigrants arrived last year in the 1.2 million population island, with their numbers going up recently to 1,000 a month.
"All Mediterranean countries are faced with this problem to a much more extend than other EU countries and we aim at reaching specific proposals...The declaration will include a very concrete position on this issue," the minister added.
He also said that Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades will have scheduled bilateral meetings with the leaders of France, Portugal and Italy.
Sources said that the most important of these meetings will be with France's Emmanuel Macron, as the two leaders are to discuss important cooperation agreements, including providing security to energy projects in the eastern Mediterranean.
Likewise, Anastasiades will discuss with the Italian prime minister the EastMed project, a 2,000-kilometer pipe planned to carry natural gas from the eastern Mediterranean to Europe through Cyprus, Greece and Italy. Enditem
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