On 3 December 2020, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean participated in the virtual Parliamentary Forum of the Rome 2020 MED – Mediterranean Dialogues.
MED – Mediterranean Dialogues is an annual high-level initiative, promoted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in cooperation with the Italian Institute of International Political Studies (ISPI). Every year, the event gathers Heads of States, Ministers, representatives from International Organizations, and other international leaders and high-level guests, to discuss and address the shared challenges that Mediterranean countries are called to confront in the fields of security, economic development, migration, and cultural dialogue.
This year’s focus was on best practices and solutions for a safe and resilient post-pandemic future in the region. The Parliamentary Forum gathered approximately 30 Chairs of the Foreign Relations Committees, and other senior MPs, from 21 different national and international parliaments of the Euro-Mediterranean and Gulf regions. The event served as a virtual venue for an interactive debate on the role of parliaments in “building back better”. The discussion tackled the wide-ranging implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on socio-economic challenges, political stability, security dynamics, and environmental governance in the area.
On this occasion, PAM was represented by President Hon. Karim Darwish (Egypt), Vice President Hon. Yana Chiara Ehm (Italy), Co-chair of the PAM Economic Panel Hon. Giulio Centemero (Italy), and Secretary General Ambassador Sergio Piazzi.
In his intervention, Hon. Darwish called parliamentarians from the two shores of the Mediterranean to cooperate in order to jointly address the severe challenges that are currently affecting the region. He highlighted the efforts of PAM to provide an institutional forum for information sharing and mutual support among National Parliaments from the broader Mediterranean region.
During the debate, Hon. Ehm emphasized how the pandemic has shown the need for countries to leave aside their divergencies and find a common ground for collaboration and solidarity. At a time when the pandemic is putting severe strains on the whole region, organizations like PAM contribute to ensuring constructive and cohesive dialogue even between countries with conflicting and divergent positions.
In his contribution, Ambassador Piazzi underscored the value of parliamentary diplomacy in support of traditional diplomacy. As an example, he highlighted the close work of PAM with the UN Security Council on legislative aspects of global counterterrorism efforts.
All delegates agreed that inter-parliamentary cooperation in the region must be re-enforced, and the role of PAM was highlighted as a key platform for such an aim. Notably, Hon. Leonid Slutsky (Russian Duma), emphasized that Russia must progress with the accession to PAM as an Associate Member as a matter of priority.
Participants acknowledged the lessons learned from the pandemic and the need to join forces to build and maintain security and sustainable development across the Mediterranean. The participation of PAM in the initiative served as a stepping stone for future cooperation with ISPI and the next editions of the MED Dialogues, in order to build on the strengths of the two fora.