Ukraine, Cuba, Central Africa Republic discussed at Foreign Affairs Council
The political crisis in Ukraine, support for reform in Cuba and a new EU military operation to support the troubled Central African Republic were discussed by EU Foreign Ministers on Monday 10 February.
In their monthly meeting chaired by High Representative Catherine Ashton i they called for all sides to refrain from violence in Ukraine. They also discussed ways to increase the EU's engagement with Cuba as well as events in Egypt, Tunisia, Syria, Iraq and Yemen amongst other issues. Below are the main results of the Council with a link to the full conclusions below.
Ukraine - "deep concern" over political crisis
At the meeting EU Foreign Ministers discussed the Eastern Partnership and in particular recent events in Ukraine where Catherine Ashton and Commissioner Štefan Füle have repeatedly and recently visited. After the meeting EU Foreign Ministers in their statement said "the EU follows with deep concern the situation and the continuing political crisis in Ukraine and remains ready to respond quickly to any deterioration on the ground. The Council is alarmed by the human rights situation, including violence, cases of missing persons, torture and intimidation and deplores the deaths and injuries sustained on all sides."
They went on to say that "the Council calls on all actors to refrain from violence and dissociate themselves from radical actions. The authorities should undertake all necessary measures to respect and protect the Ukrainian citizens' fundamental rights. Any demonstrations should be pursued by peaceful means. The continuous cases of deliberate targeting of organisers and participants of peaceful protests as well as of journalists must immediately be stopped."
Speaking at a press conference after the meeting Catherine Ashton said that "we focused today on the need to continue to urge the dialogue between President Yanukovych and the opposition leaders. We're also working closely with civil society leaders who I've spent some time with talking about their issues and concerns - the importance of stopping any form of violence, bringing to justice those who have perpetrated that violence and moving forward to the work of the Parliament on constitutional reform which is a key part of trying to solve this crisis; and then onwards to free and fair elections."
Cuba - EU supports "reform and modernisation"
The Council adopted negotiating directives for a political dialogue and co-operation agreement with the Republic of Cuba. Welcoming the decision, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton said: "I am confident these negotiations will help consolidate our engagement with Cuba. This is not a policy change from the past. Just as we want to support reform and modernisation in Cuba, we have consistently raised human rights concerns which will remain at the core of this relationship."
Central African Republic - military operation established
The Council established the EU military operation in the Central African Republic, which is to contribute to a safe and secure environment in the Bangui region for up to six months, with a view to handing over to African partners.
At the same time, Ministers said they were deeply concerned at the security and humanitarian crisis in the Central African Republic and condemned the escalating cycle of violence and retaliation. It welcomed the new transitional authorities in the Central African Republic and reiterated the EU's commitment to support them in their efforts to implement the transition agreement, restore public order and to meet the needs of the population.
Syria - support for Geneva II process
The Council debated recent developments concerning the Syrian conflict, in particular the "Geneva II" peace talks that started on 22 January. Speaking at the press conference afterwards Catherine Ashton said "we are very mindful that today Lakhdar Brahimi begins the second part of his discussions regarding Syria in Geneva. We wish him every possible success."
She went on to say that "Mr Brahimi has already focused in part on how to try and get agreement to enable people to be evacuated and for aid and support to go in. We are very concerned about the humanitarian situation in Syria which just gets worse. We are very concerned that ordinary people’s lives are being drastically affected by this conflict and in our discussions we continue to try and support and urge that this dialogue turns into a real political process based on Geneva I that can in turn start to resolve this crisis."
Iraq - condemnation of latest violence
EU Foreign Ministers also exchanged views about the regional implications of the crisis in Syria and adopted the following conclusions on Iraq saying that "the EU reaffirms its commitment to assist Iraq in its transition to democracy, recalling that the unity and territorial integrity of Iraq are essential elements in building a secure and prosperous state for all its citizens and in bringing stability to the whole region."
It went on to say that "the EU condemns in the strongest terms the latest series of bomb attacks in Iraq, including on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and expressed its condolences and sympathy to the families of the numerous victims."
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