22 October 2020. The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the 10 countries of the 5+5 Dialogue of the Western Mediterranean gathered by videoconference on the occasion of the 16th Foreign Affairs Ministerial Meeting of the 5+5 Dialogue, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year (1990-2020). Organised under the Tunisian and Maltese co-presidencies, the virtual meeting took place in the presence of Mr. Josep Borrell, EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, Mr. Nasser Kamel, Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean, Mr. Taieb Baccouche, Secretary General of the Arab Maghreb Union, and Ms. Elisabeth Guigou, President of the Anna Lindh Foundation, as observers.
Organised under the title « Together for collective security and partnership in the Western Basin of the Mediterranean”, the meeting provided the opportunity for Foreign Affairs Ministers to advocate for the strengthening and deepening of the 5+5 political framework, especially in order to further align the positions of the countries of the region as well as their cohesion in international fora.
One of the main issue on the agenda of the meeting was the security cooperation between countries of the Western Mediterranean, notably regarding the fight against terrorism and radicalisation, the conflicts in Libya and Sahel, and the Middle East Peace Process. The ministers voiced their wish to intensify their cooperation to fight transnational crime in connection with terrorism, as well as the exchange of information to face the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters. At the diplomatic level, they welcomed the ceasefire and the resumption of the dialogue process between Libyan warring parties, while calling for a decisive settlement of the crisis in Mali.
The issue of the post-COVID-19 economic recovery – the main topic of the next MedThink 5+5 webinar – was also at the centre of the ministers’ discussion. In this regard, they agreed on the need to foster synergies between the socioeconomic recovery plans of the countries of the region, especially through the development of partnerships in areas with high potential such as digitalization, sustainable development and the integration of industrial supply chains.
The meeting also touched upon the topics of the youth, education, mobility, sustainable development, and migration and development. Its conclusions are outlined in the Tunis Declaration.
The Ministers welcomed the organisation of ministerial and sectoral meetings of the 5+5 Dialogue which took place since the last meeting of Ministers of Ministers of Foreign Affairs in January 2019, and which contributed to the exchange of knowledge and experiences, including the IV Forum of the MedThink 5+5 network organised in Malta in July 2019.
The next ministerial meetings of the 5+5 Dialogue will take place in Malta before the end of the year (5+5 Defence in December; 5+5 Finance to be confirmed) and in Algiers in December 2020 (5+5 Culture, to be confirmed).
Next year, Spain will succeed to Malta as the Northern co-chair of the Dialogue.