Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Miltiadis Varvitsiotis met with the Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean, Nasser Kamel, on the margins of the 4th EU-Arab World Summit, which took place at the Athens Concert Hall.
They discussed issues within UfM competency and the organization’s priorities with regard to shared challenges being faced by the countries of the Mediterranean. Particular emphasis was put on environmental issues.
The Alternate Minister and the Secretary General highlighted protection of the Mediterranean marine environment as a major issue that concerns all coastal countries and that must be dealt with collectively.
Specifically, Mr. Varvitsiotis referred to the Greek government’s announcement of a ban on single-use plastics, which will come into effect in 2021. Mr. Kamel welcomed the initiative and referred to similar proposals for dealing with pollution, including the adoption of policies for confronting the build-up of plastic waste in the Mediterranean.
Finally, the Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs raised the issue of Greece’s under-representation in the UfM, and Secretary General Kamel expressed his willingness to redress the situation.
October 29, 2019