The UAE participated in the second Rome Med- Mediterranean Dialogues, or Rome MED 2016, an annual high-level conference organised by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Italian Institute for International Political Studies, ISPI.

The UAE delegation at the three-day meeting, which began yesterday, is being headed by Faris Al Mazrouei, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation for Security and Military Affairs, and includes Saqr Nasser Al Raisi, Ambassador of the UAE to Italy.

The event aims to draft a positive agenda for the Mediterranean region by stimulating debate and new ideas, rethinking traditional approaches and addressing shared challenges at both the regional and the international levels.

The first session of Rome MED 2016 discussed the topic of 'Shared Security: Mediterranean’s Path to a New Order'.

It was attended by Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, Secretary-General of the Arab League, Boris Johnson, UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Vali Nasr, Dean of SAIS Johns Hopkins, United States, and Frans Timmermans, First Vice-President of the European Commission.

The second session, which discussed the topic of 'Fighting Terrorism: International Engagement and Regional Ownership', was attended by Ibrahim Al Jaafari, Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs, Farhat Horchani, Tunisian Minister of Defence, and Roberta Pinotti, Italian Minister of Defence.