merrion street

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, Simon Coveney T.D. will join his European counterparts at the Foreign Affairs Council on Monday (21 September) in Brussels to discuss recent developments in Belarus and Libya, as well as the EU’s relationship with the African Union and its Southern Neighbourhood.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, the Minister stated:

This is an opportune moment to review recent developments in Libya and consider how the EU can best support moves towards a sustainable political solution to the current conflict. While the situation remains fragile, the ceasefire announcements in August, the recent talks between the parties and the renewal of the mandate of the UN Support Mission in Libya all present a window of opportunity to make much needed progress.

The situation in Belarus remains one of grave concern and the continuation of indiscriminate detentions, harassment, intimidation and ill-treatment is completely unacceptable. My colleagues and I will be assessing how the EU can ensure that the rights and democratic will of the Belarusian people are respected and how the EU’s engagement with Belarus should change in view of the government’s persistent actions. 

It is also important that the COVID-19 pandemic does not see the depth of our relationships with our closest international partners diminish; in fact we will need to augment our ties and strengthen our cooperation in order to overcome this crisis. That is why I welcome our discussion of EU-African Union relations at the Council, which should bring fresh impetus to our mutual efforts to address common challenges.