We have a long list of items on our agenda today. I will raise under current affairs the situation in Belarus where Slovakia continues to support the quest for democracy for Belarussians which are oppressed by the regime of President Lukashenko. There is no change on his behaviour which brings be to asking urgently the Commission to come up with a comprehensive plan for Belarus, which of course on the one hand respects that we have restrictive measures, but we need to go beyond that. Russia, certainly a difficult phase in our relationship, both between states and Russia but also collectively between the EU and Russia.

We need to stop the negative spiral of our relationship but the default position is unity of the European Union, I will raise this issue in my intervention. The most important point from my side is the debate about the situation in Western Balkans. I want to say that we need to pay a really strategic attention to this region. Unfortunately over the last ten years we have focussed almost entirely our relationship on enlargement, which is absolutely perfect because enlargement is the most transformative instrument in our hands, but it is not enough because we cannot transform our relationship into a technical exercise within enlargement. We must not lose the hears of the people of Western Balkans, which obviously see their future in the EU.

Last but not least, the important debate about transatlantic relations. Once again a reminder that the two communities, the United States and the European Union are the most important and closest partners and now is the moment for us to get together in view of the challenges that we are facing. And in this context a very important exchange of views with the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John Kerry. I will definitely applaud the return of the United States on the global climate scene, this is what we need at this moment, to show the leadership of the West on this important agenda.

[ Ссылка ] #eudebates

EU Foreign Affairs Ministers meet in Brussels to discuss transatlantic relations and the Western Balkans.

Ministers also take stock of the latest international developments, including: the situation in the Sahel, the global health and preparedness for pandemics with a view to the upcoming G20 Global Health Summit, and the situation in Afghanistan, following the US troop withdrawal announcement

Furthermore, they focus on the relations with Russia, the state of the negotiations on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in Vienna, the recently postponed Palestinian elections, and the situation in Lebanon.

John Kerry, the United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, is joining the EU Ministers by video conference for an exchange of views focusing on climate issues.

EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs meet, on 10 May 2021, in Brussels. The meeting is chaired by Josep BORRELL, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. EU Foreign Affairs Ministers focus on the transatlantic relations and the Western Balkans. Furthermore, they take stock of the latest international developments in the Sahel, Afghanistan, Palestine, Lebanon and discuss the relations with Russia, the state of the negotiations on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and the upcoming G20 Global Health Summit. #
[ Ссылка ] #eudebates

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