Minister Simon Coveney attends the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg today

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister for Defence, Simon Coveney T.D., attends the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg on Monday (12 October).

EU Foreign Ministers will respond to recent international developments and consider an EU response to the most recent developments in Belarus and Russia. Ministers will also assess the EU’s strategic engagement with the Latin America and Caribbean region and take stock of the EU-facilitated dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo. Ministers will discuss how to strengthen the multilateral system and the EU’s engagement in multilateral organisations.

Speaking before the meeting, Minister Coveney said:

“I welcome the European Council’s agreement on targeted sanctions against those in Belarus responsible for the falsification of the August election result and for the use of violence against peaceful protesters. We must continue to demonstrate our clear support for the Belarusian people in defence of their democratic rights. I condemn the ongoing detentions and ill-treatment by Belarusian authorities of their own citizens.

“On Russia, Ireland has strongly condemned the attempted assassination of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. At the Foreign Affairs Council, the EU will consider how it can best respond to this and will assess the outlook for the future of the EU-Russia relationship.”

The discussion on multilateralism comes as Ireland prepares to take up elected membership of the UN Security Council in January 2021.

Minister Coveney said:

“The EU has played a leading role in defending the multilateral rules-based international order. The EU will reflect on how we can do more to strengthen the Union’s role and visibility at the UN and other multilateral fora. I look forward to good cooperation among EU Member States on the Security Council when we take up our seat in January.”

ENDS