Coptic Solidarity participated in a Leadership Conference organized by the Middle East Christians Committee (MECHRIC) in Brussels, on November 5 and 6. Participants came from Mideast countries, Europe, US, Canada and Australia, representing key NGOs of the Assyrian, Chaldean, Coptic, Maronite and Syriac communities. Click for photos.
The Leadership Conference discussed the various pressing issues related to the Middle East countries, highlighting the common as well as the unique challenges facing each community.
A special representative of Baroness Catherine Ashton, the EU Foreign Affairs Commissioner, gave a keynote speech at a ‘political dinner,’ where he elaborated the EU policies in the Middle East. Present also were the ambassadors of Lithuania (which currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU Council), Russia, Belgium and Cyprus as well as a number of parliamentarians and leaders of Brussels-based organizations.
On the afternoon of Nov. 6, a special conference, organized by the European People’s Party (EPP), was held at the EU Parliament under the leadership of the two vice-chairmen of the EPP. The European parliamentarians wanted to hear firsthand assessments of the dramatic challenges facing the Christian communities in the Middle East, where governments, Islamists, and warring factions seem to be uniting their efforts to eradicate these communities from the region.
The Coptic Solidarity delegation delivered a special message addressed by Dr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, the past UN Secretary General. Coptic Solidarity then reported on the current situation of Copts in Egypt, pointing out the flawed policies of the West, which helped embolden the Islamists and demanded a change in such policies–which is in the best interest of Europe and Egypt. Coptic Solidarity also warned, that the Brotherhood regime in Egypt may be down, but it is not out, as the extremist Salafists try to impose their obscurantist agenda on the constitution and the society.
As a follow up on the meetings, it was agreed that MECHRIC would shortly communicate a Policy Statement to the EU Parliament and meet with EU foreign affairs officials to further clarify the EU policies in the region.