EU - Jean-Yves Le Drian to attend the EU foreign ministers videoconference (19 November 2020)

Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian will attend the EU foreign ministers meeting, which will be held in a videoconference format.

The ministers will address the following points:

• transatlantic relations: In the aftermath of the U.S. elections, the minister will underscore the importance of establishing a new rebalanced transatlantic partnership and, to that end, continuing the work we’ve begun to strengthen European sovereignty, define an ambitious climate agenda, strengthen multilateralism, promote human rights and boost the effectiveness of the EU-U.S. partnership, especially with respect to our relations with China.

• the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh: The minister will emphasize France’s efforts, as co-chair of the Minsk Group, to enforce the ceasefire and present rigorous demands in the negotiation of a lasting resolution to the conflict.

• relations with Turkey: The ministers will make preparations for the European Council on December 10 and 11 which must review the latest Turkish actions and discuss the necessary measures to respond to them.

Among other current issues, the ministers will also discuss the situation in Afghanistan ahead of the donors conference in Geneva on November 23 and 24; the minister will stress the importance of using the conditions attached to European assistance as political leverage to safeguard democratic achievements in that country. As for Libya, the EU’s support for the ceasefire reached under the auspices of the UN and the importance of maintaining our collective commitment, through Operation Irini, to bolstering de-escalation will also be addressed. The ministers will also examine the deterioration of the political and humanitarian situation in Ethiopia and the latest troubling developments in Belarus.

The ministers will also exchange views with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki and will reaffirm their support for the two-state solution.