Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman on Thursday presented to the Parliament a report on informal meetings of the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC), while State Secretary for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Zdenko Lucić presented a report on the informal meeting of FAC Trade.
“The FAC meeting of 21 September 2020 discussed Belarus, Libya and Africa, i.e. the Southern Neighbourhood, with the main topic being the post-election situation in Belarus. The EU condemned the violence against protestors, voiced support for the democratic forces and called for a national dialogue. Activist and candidate Svetlana Tihanovska reported on the situation in the country. The ministers agreed to respond to the violence and electoral fraud with sanctions,” Grlić Radman said.
At the FAC meeting of 12 October, the minister underlined the Serbia-Kosovo dialogue, situation in Belarus, as well as Latin America and the Caribbean as the main topics. “The aim of the Serbia-Kosovo dialogue is to reach a comprehensive and binding agreement aligned with the international law and the acquis, which would contribute to a more stable region. The ministers stressed that it had to be made clear to Serbia and Kosovo that without normalization of relations neither party could join the EU,” Grlić Radman added.
State Secretary Lucić reported on FAC Trade of 9 November 2020. “We took stock of the EU trade policy and discussed the WTO reform, with special emphasis on the EU’s trade relations with the US and China. The ministers agreed on the need to maintain constructive dialogue with the SU on all matters of mutual interest and to sign an investment agreement with China,” the state secretary said.
Both officials answered questions by members of the European Affairs Committee and the Foreign Policy Committee, after which both of their reports were accepted.