The Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean and the Union of the Mediterranean have established a strategic road map for a coordinated effort to tackle the major priority areas in the Mediterranean region.
PAM Secretary General, Amb. Sergio Piazzi, and UfM Secretary General, Mr.Fathallah Sijilmassi, held an intensive bilateral meeting at the UfM Headquarters in Barcelona, on 9 April 2013, at the end of which a Memorandum of Understanding was signed.
Amb. Piazzi, in the framework of PAM’s ongoing parliamentary diplomacy initiatives, briefed his UfM counterpart about the upcoming meeting on Syria, during which particular attention will be dedicated to the humanitarian dimension, especially the internally displaced and the refugees in the neighbouring countries.
In the wider context, PAM Secretary General also informed Mr Sijilmassi of the PAM forthcoming mission in the Middle East, which will include also a visit to Damascus, where the situation of the Palestinian refugees in Syria will be also addressed.
The Secretary General of the UfM informed Dr. Piazzi about the activities of the Secretariat in Barcelona in relation to the possible areas of cooperation with PAM, including that with the PAM Panel on economic affairs.
To this effect, an overview of the activities of the PAM Panel on Trade and Investments in the Mediterranean highlighted the role of the Assembly in the economic sector in the region, and reference was made to the important collaboration with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, UNECE and UNIDO. Other related issues covered the latest developments in energy, trade, food security, migration, women, youth, SMEs and job creation.
The two Secretaries General expressed reciprocal full support and assistance for their respective endeavors and underlined the need for an effective cooperation between the two institutions.