Deputy Foreign Minister Ioannis Amanatidis travelled to Egypt to participate in the 2nd Union for the Mediterranean Ministerial Conference on the subject of Sustainable Urban Development, which took place today, Monday, 22 May 2017, in Cairo.Conference attendees include the EU Commissioner for Regional Policy, the Minister of Municipal Affairs of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, as well as the Minister of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Development of the Arab Republic of Egypt.During his speech, Mr. Amanatidis stated that “Greece welcomes this Meeting and, more specifically, our common commitment to a Network for the Mediterranean, a regional platform with the goal of strengthening regional co-operation for urban development, while at the same time recognising each member state’s economic, social, environmental, and cultural differences”.The Deputy Foreign Minister explained, “our common goal to unite our forces, by facilitating the exchange of experience in order to develop comprehensive, long-term proposals customised to meet the special conditions and needs of the various geographical regions may seem difficult to attain, but it is perfectly feasible,” while emphasizing the “primary importance of adopting a common vision on the policies and means of sustainable urban development, with the goal of strengthening the capability of our cities to host refugees and immigrants residing in temporary settlements.”Mr. Amanatidis defended “maintaining and promoting cultural diversity through the use of an approach based on each specific region,” and stressed the “need to adapt our national legal and political frameworks to facilitate the timely application of the Union for the Mediterranean’s Urban Agenda”.
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