Libya, Syria & EU Eastern Partnership discussed at Foreign Affairs meeting
Libya, Syria and the European Union's Eastern Partnership were among the topics discussed by Federica Mogherini i and Foreign Ministers from all Member States in today's Foreign Affairs Council.
Following Libya's request for support, Mogherini and the 28 Ministers analysed concrete means to help the Libyan government of national accord control Libya's territorial waters and fight human smugglers. The discussion also touched upon the broader external dimension of the Union's migration policies: arriving at the Council, Mogherini explained that the EU has begun to "work with countries of origin and transit in the sense of partnership, launching [High level] dialogues and preparing packages with them." The High Representative, who travelled to Nigeria just last week, explained that the Ministers' meeting would focus on proposals from Member States, as well as on the communication she is preparing together with Vice-President Frans Timmermans i.
Another point on the Ministers' agenda was the Union's regional strategy for Syria, Iraq and to counter the Daesh threat. Early this morning Mogherini met with a delegation from the Syrian National Coalition, led by Anas Al-Abdah: after the meeting, the High Representative described the group as "a very interesting and representative delegation of different components of the Syrian society." "We are working with them - she added - to prepare the talks in Geneva and the beginning of the political transition in Damascus, while obviously our work on the humanitarian side continues" inside Syria.
The Ministers also discussed the new European Union's Global Strategy, which will be presented by the High Representative in a late-June European Council, and the EU Eastern Partnership. It is “extremely important for us to always keep the balance between our attention to the South and to the East,” Mogherini said ahead of the meeting, even when the Union's Eastern neighbours “get a little bit out of the mainstream media.” The High Representative reported on her recent meetings in Vienna with leaders from Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Mogherini also conveyed her condolences to people of Egypt, France and all other countries involved in the crash of EgyptAir flight last week.