High Representative Federica Mogherini gathered the EU
ministers of Foreign Affairs in Luxembourg on Monday 18 for the monthly Foreign
Affairs Council meeting. The agenda included several pressing issues starting
from the migration crisis to the common work with key partners.
Before the FAC, Mogherini chaired the EU-Tunisia
Association Council. In their joint declaration after the meeting, the High
Representative and Tunisian Foreign Minister Khemaies Jhinaoui stressed their
common engagement on the EU-Tunisia special partnership and the work ahead to
build a deeper cooperation. Mogherini praised the many efforts made by Tunisia
after the revolution in 2011 and confirmed EU readiness to support the country
further.
On the migration crisis, speaking to the press before
the Council, the High Representative remembered the hundreds of victims of a
drowning in the Mediterranean Sea exactly one year ago. The discussion on
migration focused on the external actions that the EU has undertaken,
especially the EUNAVFOR MED Sophia mission and the work with partners in the
region. Mogherini updated the ministers on her recent visit to the flagship of
Operation Sophia and on their achievements.
The Dutch Foreign Minister Bert
Koenders briefed his colleagues on his mission to Africa, in Mali, Ghana, and
Ivory Coast, on behalf of the High Representative to build partnerships with
the countries of origin and transit. Mogherini and the Ministers also received
Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, to discuss
about the management of the refugee flows from Syria and in other parts of the
world.
On Libya, the EU ministers of Foreign affairs and of
Defence, and the High Representative will have this evening a conference call
with Libyan Prime Minister Fayes al-Sarraj to assess the situation in Tripoli
and to start a concrete discussion on support: the EU is ready to contribute
with a package that includes economic aid. " We now have to have our teams
at work to identify concrete projects in different fields that are the
priorities of the Libyan people and of the Libyan government, on the economic,
on the political and on the security side; and this will also be a discussion
point that for the ministers tonight" said Mogherini.
The Eastern Partnership was also on the agenda. One
year after the Riga Summit, the next ministerial meeting is foreseen for next
month.
Last but not least, the High Representative received
the special envoy of President Santos to the Colombia peace talks, the
Colombian High Commissioner for Peace Jaramillo, who gave an update on the
state of play of the negotiations.
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