Middle East Monitor – The foreign ministers of seven countries (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Greece and Cyprus) are scheduled to meet for a summit termed the “Friendship Forum” in Athens on Thursday, to discuss developments in the Mediterranean and Middle East regions.
El-Sharq TV (affiliated with Saudi Arabia) quoted a diplomatic source stating that the meeting is dedicated to developing a common vision among the concerned countries, to handle the file of East Mediterranean gas and boost multilateral cooperation in several fields.
The source explained that this comes in light of regional and international changes and the desire of these countries to conclude more conventions and work together to benefit all participating parties.
The source pointed out that the foreign ministers of the participating countries are meeting precisely at this time to deliver an early message to the new US administration that these important and influential countries have rules and principles for dealing with the issues of the East Mediterranean and Middle East regions.
The source noted that the summit aims to press the European Union to unify efforts to protect its interests in the East Mediterranean, namely the region’s gas reserve.
