SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Feb. 24 -- The first League of Arab States (LAS)-EU Summit started on Sunday in Egypt's Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, with the participation of more than 50 European and Arab countries.
The summit, scheduled on Feb. 24-25, was inaugurated by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, who jointly chairs the meeting with President of the European Council Donald Tusk.
Arab and European leaders will seek to strengthen ties and address a wide range of issues and common challenges, such as multilateralism, trade, investment, migration, security and regional situation.
The summit will also provide an opportunity for leaders to discuss the latest developments in the region, such as the Middle East peace process and the situation in Yemen, in Libya and in Syria.
EU Ambassador to Egypt Ivan Surkos announced earlier this week that 24 heads of state of the EU will come to Sharm el-Sheikh, saying "European leaders are strongly interested in enhancing cooperation with our Arab neighbors."
Assistant Secretary General of the LAS Hossam Zaki described the Arab participation in the summit as "very high," stressing that there is a common interest in this Arab-European dialogue on the leadership level.
Zaki explained that the summit will have two sessions of statements and an interactive session without written statements where leaders can exchange views, according to Egyptian official MENA news agency.