Egypt took part in the virtual meeting held with the Southern Mediterranean countries and the European Union (EU), which was hosted by Spain.
A number of officials participated in the event, including the Spanish Foreign Minister, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and the European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, as well as a number of foreign ministries.
Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister for European Affairs Ambassador Badr Abdel Aty represented his country during which he highlighted the challenges facing the entire region, including Africa, during this period.
He touched on the repercussions of the COVID-19 crisis and its economic, social, and humanitarian impacts.
Abdel Aty also discussed terrorism, climate change, immigration, hatred discourse, and discrimination, stressing the importance of respecting religions and religious icons.
The Egyptian official affirmed the need to reshape the mutual ties among the Mediterranean countries to be more effective and cooperative.
He also said that strengthening the economic cooperation between the European countries and Southern Mediterranean countries is vital since they represent the EU bridge to Africa.
According to Abdel Aty, this includes deepening the cooperation in various fields such as agriculture, transforming the European industrial technologies, artificial intelligence, smart exportation, drug industry, and supporting low-emissions economics.
