The EU foreign ministers discussed the strategic partnership with the United States, multilateralism, and the prospects for the Middle East peace process
17 November 2020 News
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ekaterina Zaharieva took part in today’s Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels via video conference. The main topics on the agenda were EU-US relations, the situation in Nagorno Karabakh, and the Middle East peace process.
The ministers discussed the prospects for the development of the strategic partnership between the EU and the United States during the future administration of US President-elect Joe Biden. There was a shared opinion that the development of the strong trans-Atlantic relationship should be a top priority for the Union. Ekaterina Zaharieva said that The EU should be proactive and should propose concrete priorities for the agenda of the cooperation between the EU and the United States.
The participants welcomed the Russian-mediated ceasefire agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan for Nagorno Karabakh of 9 November 2020. Rhey highlighted the need for all regional factors to refrain from actions that could jeopardize the agreement. Minister Zaharieva expressed full support for the OSCE Minsk Group and its co-chairs’ actions for renewing efforts to achieve a comprehensive and sustainable solution to the conflict. She called for a debate on the so-called frozen conflicts to be added to the agenda for one of the future meetings of the Foreign Affair Council.
The top EU diplomats and Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al- Maliki discussed the prospects for the development of relations with Palestine and for progress in the Middle East peace process. Bulgaria, Austria, Croatia, and Czechia made a joint statement welcoming Palestine’s decision to resume cooperation with Israel, and highlighted the importance of coordination in the area of security. The position in support of a solution to the Middle East conflict based on the two-state principle was confirmed as well as the position that all open issues must be resolved through negotiations between the two sides.
On the situation in Belarus, High Representative Josep Borell made a briefing on progress in the review of relations between the EU and Belarus. The ministers discussed the possibility of examining a new packet of sanctions in response to the continuing repressions and human rights violations in the country. Ekaterina Zaharieva expressed support for the adoption of a package of restraining measures in respect of Belarus.
The participants in the Council voiced concern over the escalation of tensions in the eastern Mediterranean by confirming their complete solidarity with Greece and Cyprus. There was a categorical position that all open issues must be resolved in the spirit of good-neighbourly relations and on the basis of international law.
The Ministers exchanged ideas on the further strengthening of the leading role of the EU in the pursuit of effective multilateral cooperation. They were united in the view that the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic require stronger cooperation in the international community with the United Nations playing a central role. The discussion set the start of a process of drafting a strategic EU document on this topic, which should be adopted in 2021.