▶️Mediterranean and Middle East Special Group Chairpersons and Members
GSM Director: Paul Cook, Ph.D.
2024 REPORT ⤵️
- Russia’s destabilising role in NATO’s southern neighbourhood
Rapporteur : Theo FRANCKEN (Belgium)
The Mediterranean and Middle East Special Group resembles a Committee in structure and tasks but it comprises members from all five Assembly Committees. It was created in 1996 to provide a formal forum for members interested in the Middle East and North Africa region, and wishing to conduct a dialogue with parliamentarians and officials from the region. It holds one or two annual seminars where the yearly information report is presented and discussed. The report approved by the GSM is then presented to the whole Assembly during the Annual Session. Furthermore, the GSM conducts one or two annual visits each year.
The subjects covered by the Mediterranean and Middle East Special Group include:
- All political, socio-economic and security-related matters pertaining to the Mediterranean Area, the Middle East, and the Arabian Peninsula.
- Cooperation between NATO member countries and their partners from the Middle East and North Africa, and NATO policies aimed at projecting stability in these regions.
- Developments in NATO’s Mediterranean Dialogue and Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, with a particular focus on aspects concerning parliamentarians.
- Political reform in the Middle East and North Africa, including the role of women in the societies of the region;
- Economic reform and development, energy and environmental issues;
- Issues of common concern such as terrorism, state weakness, regional tensions and conflicts, mass migration and the refugee crisis, and their impact on regional and Euro-Atlantic security.
The Mediterranean and Middle East Special Group also provides a forum for maintaining close relations with parliamentarians from partner countries in the Mediterranean Area, the Middle East, and the Arabian Peninsula with a view to deepening cooperation and building mutual understanding. It also seeks to facilitate and promote dialogue among partners.
MENA Countries Formally participating in GSM Activities
Regional Partner and Mediterranean Associate Member Delegations
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Algeria
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National People's Assembly
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Council of the Nation
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Israel
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Knesset
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Jordan
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House of Representatives
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Senate
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Morocco
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House of Representatives
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House of Councilors
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Parliamentary Observer Delegations from the MENA
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Egypt
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Tunisia
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Assembly of People's Representatives
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Palestinian National Council
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