KUWAIT: HH the
Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah delivered yesterday his
speech to the first Arab-European Union summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.
Speaking to the participants, including Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi
and President of the European Council Donald Tusk, HH the Amir said: "I am
pleased at the outset to express my great happiness for this first historic
meeting between Arab and European states in this beautiful city. I would also
like to express my thanks and appreciation to the brothers and friends, leaders
of the Arab and European countries, for responding to the invitation of this
meeting by participating in it, which reflects their keenness to develop Arab-European
relations."

HH the Amir
expressed gratitude towards Egypt for hosting the event, saying: "I must
also thank my brother His Excellency President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, President
of the Arab Republic of Egypt, for inviting us and for the warm welcome and
generous hospitality extended to us. Our region has gone through various
historical phases, in which the interaction of civilization and others was
clear, as the effects of the Arab region are visible on the structures of
European civilization. Similarly, we see clearly the effects of European
advancement and European civilization on Arab intellectual, educational and
political institutions. We also have a shared space, a common sea and
geographic interaction on the ground, all of which enhance our engagement and
strengthen our cooperation."

The Amir affirmed
that such facts "enable us to create mechanisms of coordination and
partnerships through which we can support and develop our relations and expand
their horizons to achieve the common interests of our countries in the
economic, education, energy and investment levels". "We trust that
the future of our cooperation is promising. The volume of trade exchange
between our countries has exceeded $326.5 billion. Today, we are witnessing
progress and development in our cooperation towards higher levels. We are also
confident that we are able to catch up with what has passed us in recent years
with regards to achievements in terms of mutual cooperation and in all
fields," he said.

"We are all aware
of the magnitude of the threats and the challenges we face due to the difficult
security, political and economic conditions, which requires of us to call upon
you to work with us in order to confront them. We believe in the prominent and
vital role played by the European Union on the international stage in dealing
with many issues and challenges that are common to all of us. The most
prominent of these issues are those pertaining to security and stability in the
Middle East," the Amir said.

HH Sheikh Sabah
commended "the outstanding role played by the European Union in facing
many of the issues on the international scene", adding that "the
European role in confronting the terrorism phenomenon is an exceptional one. We
had the privilege of cooperating and engaging on this issue, as it is a common
challenge and represents a direct threat to our joint security and
stability". "In addition, the role played by the European Union at
the humanitarian level is an advanced and pioneering role, whereby the generosity
of European countries has always been outstanding in meeting the humanitarian
needs of societies," he said.

"We have
seen this in the rapid response to meet the appeals of the United Nations and
its specialized agencies in the humanitarian field. We also had the honor to
cooperate and participate with the European group in providing support to
several countries in our region and others around the world facing humanitarian
crisis and disasters. In this context, we must note that despite the progressive
role of the European Community with regards to the Palestinian cause, we look
forward to seeing greater engagement and initiatives with this central issue
and to make it a top priority for the international community. What we see
today as hotbeds of tension in our region is due to this issue being overlooked
and not achieving a just and comprehensive solution that the brotherly
Palestinian people and the entire Arab people look forward to," Sheikh
Sabah said.

At the conclusion
of his speech, the Amir extended his gratitude to the Secretary-General of the
League of Arab Ahmad Abul-Gheit and the High Representative of the Union for
Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European
Commission Federica Mogherini and their bureaus for their valuable efforts in
preparing for this important meeting. He renewed his wishes of success to the
first summit of Arab and European leaders.

Europeans view
the summit, EU sources told AFP, as a way to protect their traditional
diplomatic, economic and security interests while China and Russia move to fill
a vacuum left by the United States. The summit in the southern Sinai desert is
heavily guarded by Egyptian security forces who are fighting a bloody
insurgency a short distance to the north. Climate change, migration, trade and
investment were on yesterday's agenda, EU sources said. Conflicts in Syria,
Yemen and Libya are to be discussed today. Arab League hosts said the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict will also be raised.

European leaders
first mentioned the summit in Austria in September amid efforts to agree ways
to curb the illegal migration that has sharply divided the 28-nation bloc. But
checking migration is just part of Europe's broader strategy to forge a new
alliance with its southern neighbors. Mogherini insists that the gathering in
Egypt of around 40 heads of state and government is about much more than
migration.

Tusk, met
yesterday with Sisi to help set the agenda, EU sources said. A UN official
warned that Europe's failure to bridge divisions on migration "risks
blocking all the other discussions" at the summit. The EU has struck
aid-for-cooperation agreements with Turkey and Libya's UN-backed government in
Tripoli, which has sharply cut the flow of migrants since a 2015 peak. But the
official said broader cooperation with the Arab League, which includes Libya,
is limited without the EU being able to speak in one voice.

Marc Pierini, a
former EU ambassador to Tunisia and Libya, said the Arabs are also grappling
with divisions since the Arab Spring revolutions in the last decade. An EU
source said there will "be no deal in the desert" when asked if EU
leaders would huddle together to explore ways to break the logjam over
Britain's looming exit from the bloc on March 29. Brussels has stood united
against May's requests to reopen the November divorce agreement in order to
help it pass the British parliament. - Agencies