I would like to begin by thanking President Sisi and the
Egyptian people for their warm hospitality over the past
two days, and for hosting the first ever meeting between
the EU and the League of Arab States.
We have come together to address the challenges we face
head on, so that we can deliver prosperity and security for
all of our countries.
I have had constructive discussions with King Salman of
Saudi Arabia, the Amir of Kuwait, Prime Minister Hariri of
Lebanon and others, on issues such as migration, the crises
in Yemen and Syria, instability in Libya, the evolving
threat from Daesh, and the Middle East Peace Process. The
fortunes of our regions have long been intertwined. A
stable, peaceful Arab region matters to Europe, and the UK
is fully committed to continue working on this with our
allies both now and after we leave the EU.
Of course, I’ve also had the opportunity to discuss Brexit
while I’ve been here. I held good meetings with President
Tusk, Prime Minister Conte, Chancellor Merkel, Prime
Minister Rutte, President Juncker and the Taoiseach.
There is still more work to do, and my team will be in
Brussels tomorrow working on the legally binding assurances
that the UK Parliament needs in relation to the backstop.
But what I have sensed in all of my conversations with my
fellow leaders both here in Sharm el-Sheikh and in recent
days is a real determination to find a way through which
allows the UK to leave the EU in a smooth and orderly way
with a deal.
