The Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is attending a summit between the European Union and the League of Arab States.

Being held at the resort of Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt, it is the first-ever summit between leaders from the two regions.

Co-chaired by EU Council President Donald Tusk and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, it includes representatives of 28 EU member states and 21 members of the Arab League.

The leaders are considering how to strengthen cooperation on issues including multilateralism, regional peace and stability, migration, human rights, counter-terrorism, trade, economic development and climate action.

The summit began with an opening ceremony and plenary session, followed by an official dinner.

It continues Monday morning with two further plenary sessions, concluding after lunch with the closing ceremony.

Mr Varadkar will also make a formal statement during the plenary sessions, and highlight Ireland's priorities and perspective on a range of foreign policy issues.

He will hold a series of bilateral meetings with EU and Arab leaders.

Speaking in advance of the summit, Mr Varadkar said: "This is the first time that leaders from EU member states and the Arab League have come together in this format to discuss shared priorities. Ireland has strong links with a number of Arab League states, through trade, our peacekeeping efforts in the Middle East and our significant expat communities in the Gulf.

"Also, we will soon open new embassies in Amman and Rabat.

"Although we do not agree on everything, this summit will provide an important opportunity for open dialogue on how we can enhance the Euro-Arab partnership and take on regional challenges, including cooperation on migration, security and counter-terrorism."

While Brexit is not on the agenda, Mr Varadkar added that it will be an opportunity to discuss the latest developments with his EU counterparts.