Speaking from Rabat, Cypriot GUE/NGL MEP Kyriacos Triantaphyllides said he "fully supported this call for a definitive solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a prerequisite for lasting peace in the region."

The resolution passed at the UfM calls on Israel to recognise the Arab peace initiative whilst condemning the ongoing occupation of Palestinian territories and the arrests by Israel of Palestinian members of parliament.

"Another unsolved problem which threatens stability in the region and hinders regional cooperation" Triantaphyllides highlighted at the assembly "is the continued occupation of the republic of Cyprus by Turkey". "It is unacceptable that a candidate country for EU membership can forcibly occupy EU territory. It is similarly outrageous that Turkey is blocking Cyprus from organising events during its upcoming EU presidency that promote the objectives of the Union for the Mediterranean."

The Rabat meeting was the first since the Arab Spring and included recently elected politicians from North Africa and the Middle East. The transition to democracy in Arab countries was also a key point of discussion at the summit that brought together representatives from all 27 EU member states plus Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Mauritania, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey.

GUE/NGL Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean: Kyriacos Triantaphyllides (Cyprus), Patrick Le Hyaric (France).