Meeting of the “Olive Group”

The 5^th Informal Meeting of Foreign Ministers of Mediterranean EU member states known as the “Olive Group” (Paphos, 17-18.1.2008), concluded its proceedings in Cyprus. Greece was represented by Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis and Deputy Foreign Minister Yannis Valinakis. The meeting’s agenda included current affairs of Mediterranean interest, i.e. the Middle East Peace Process, the European cooperation initiative for a collective response to natural disasters, Kosovo, and the recently proposed “Mediterranean Union.”

This meeting is to be held every six months, at the beginning of each EU Presidency. An Informal Meeting of Foreign Ministers of Mediterranean EU member states has already been hosted by Greece in Lagonissi in October 2006, with great success. The Lagonissi meeting was then followed by the Valetta (Malta, February 2007) and Koper meetings (Slovenia, July 2007).

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus: 5th Informal Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Mediterranean EU Member-States, Concluding Remarks

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