Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman on Monday attended a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council. The ministers exchanged views on Belarus and Libya, as well as on EU relations with the African Union and the Southern Neighbourhood.
“The situation in Belarus is still extremely troubling. Violence and repression are ongoing. We discussed how to support Belarusian democratic forces and push for an inclusive national dialogue. To that end, the EU has mobilized 53 million euros. We reiterated the political will to adopt restrictive measures as soon as possible against those responsible for violence, repression and electoral fraud,” Grlić Radman said. He added that he was pushing for EU’s engagement in Belarus through supporting the citizens and democratic institutions and by strengthening economic ties. Ahead of the meeting, the ministers held talks with Belarusian activist and electoral candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, underscoring support for her efforts to democratize Belarus.
Concerning Libya, the ministers discussed how to use the latest developments to reach a permanent ceasefire agreement in the framework of the UN-led process, lift the oil blockade across Libya, and resume the political dialogue. The ministers also reflected on the results of the recently launched Operation Irini in the implementation of the UN arms embargo.
With the aim of preparing for the EU-African Union summit and ministerial meeting, the Council agreed to work on strengthening the partnership and determining joint strategic priorities for the period ahead, as well as to call on the African partners for a stronger engagement. “I highlighted the issue of migration, where efforts need to be directed towards addressing the root cause long-term,” Grlić Radman said.
The meeting ended with an exchange of views on the EU relations with the Southern Neighbourhood countries. “We agreed to step up the political engagement with our partners in the region. Emphasis will be put on security, sustainable economic growth, promoting regional integration and fighting the COVID-19 pandemic,” the minister said, underlining the importance of responding to the positive development in the relations between Israel and the two Arabic countries with a stronger engagement with Israel.
The Council also touched on the situation in Venezuela ahead of the elections, the poisoning of Mr Navalny and the need to have an urgent international investigation in cooperation with the OPCW, as well as on Lebanon, China, and Turkey.