The escalating Middle East crisis and migration were at the centre of talks between Italy's premier Giorgia Meloni and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen at the Med9 summit in Paphos, Cyprus on Friday.
Meloni and von der Leyen also focussed on the most recent developments in the Middle East and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, a European leaders' summit next weeek and Europe's competitiveness, Meloni's office stated.
Meloni also held talks in Paphos with Jordan's King Abdullah, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and von der Leyen which addressed the pressing issue of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Jordan and other states in the crisis-hit Middle East, the statement said.
"Concrete solutions were discussed to create the conditions for Syrian refugees to return to their homeland in a voluntary, safe and sustainable way in collaboration with the main humanitarian organizations present in the region," the statement concluded.
