Sharjah24 - WAM: Saqr Ghobash, Speaker of the Federal National Council (FNC), said the UAE's permanent membership in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) will help encourage cooperation between European and Mediterranean countries in economic, social, cultural and political areas.

He was also confident that the country's PAM membership would boost the strategic partnerships between the UAE and Mediterranean countries and support their joint efforts to address regional and international challenges that threaten global peace and security.

Ghobash made this statement during the PAM's 16th General Assembly meeting hosted by the UAE.

During the meeting, Gennaro Migliore, President of PAM, announced the permanent membership of the UAE.

Ghobash said the FNC Parliamentary Division will work hard to achieve PAM's objectives and promote joint parliamentary action to achieve the aspirations of Arab and European countries as stated in the Barcelona Declaration in 2010.

"We will support PAM's objectives in all regional and international parliamentary events, including at Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) events," he added, thanking Migliore and PAM’s member countries for approving the UAE’s membership, and stressing that the FNC will continue its regional and international parliamentary diplomacy efforts.

Migliore welcomed the UAE’s membership and lauded its parliamentary diplomacy work, noting that the FNC has contributed to all discussions and initiatives related to combatting terrorism and extremism, in addition to humanitarian and energy transition efforts.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean opened its 16th Plenary Session in Dubai yesterday, in the presence of 120 participants representing parliaments, governments, governmental and civil organizations.