Muscat emphasises cross-region cooperation during EU-Arab World Summit

More cooperation was needed between the EU and the Arab world, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said, including through investing in younger generations, which would lead to more jobs.

Speaking at the EU-Arab World Summit in Athens today, Muscat said that during a time when countries were closing their doors, politically and economically speaking, the need to open roads for regions to work together and to have access to each other’s market, was highlighted.

Existing tools, such as the EU’s Neighbourhood Policy , could be used to this effect, he said.

Malta wanted Europe to remain the primary source for investment and development, Muscat maintained, and this could be done through the use of funds from EU and Arab countries to strengthen physical and digital infrastructure. This would lead to new opportunities, he said, and Malta was in the forefront of using digital technologies such as Blockchain, through the country’s national Blockcain strategy and its regulation of cryptocurrencies.

The Prime Minister also emphasised the need for more opportunities for you people, living in Europe and in the Arab world, to pursue their education and training at tertiary level. “Malta’s vision is to be the centre of experience for students coming from the two regions,” he said.

There were a number of challenges for Europe and the Arab world, amongst them migrations and terrorism, and increase cooperation was necessary if these problems were to be addressed in the best way possible, Muscat said in conclusion,

The Summit has seen a variety of speakers, including Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, European Commission Vice-President Marcos Sefcovic, and the Arab Emirates’ economic minister Sultan Saaed Al Mansouri.