Minister of Foreign Affairs Ioannis Kasoulides on Thursday described youth as the asset of the region that will help shape the future.

He was addressing the closing session of a Conference on “Youth Cooperation for Peace: Building bridges to counter radicalization and extremism” with the participation of young people from Albania, Algeria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Oman, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates to exchange views on ways to promote tolerance, mutual understanding and to dispel misconceptions and false stereotypes.

The Cypriot Minister said the aim of the conference is to contribute in a positive way in building bridges, noting that the youth’s proposals and recommendations will help decision makers.

Kasoulides said “we consider youth the asset of our region who will shape the future”.

In statements before the conference, Kasoulides said with the initiative of Greece and the 2nd Rhodes Conference for the Security and Stability in May 2017, it was decided that countries in the region will deal with security issues and issues of stability in the region but with a positive agenda.

The conference is organised by the Youth Board of Cyprus, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education and Culture.

During the Conference, participants discussed the factors that lead young people to radicalization and violent extremism, the role of youth in building resilient communities and practical measures to support youth against radicalization and violent extremism.

The conference is centred on the idea that young people can have a positive role on this issue. According to the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2250 (2015) young people can positively contribute towards conflict prevention, the prevention of violent extremism and peace building.

Following up on the 2nd Rhodes Conference for the Security and Stability in May 2017, it remains essential to connect young people from different regions and offer the opportunity for open dialogue and discussion.

The conference attendees will include young people aged 18-35 years old that are either members of National Youth Council or representatives of public authorities on youth issues. Additionally civil society members involved in peace-building, countering extremism and radicalization as well as conflict prevention were actively involved.