merrion street

The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr. Simon Coveney TD, today attended a meeting of EU Foreign Affairs Ministers in Brussels. The Foreign Affairs Council discussed the situation in Syria, the Middle East Peace Process as well as Moldova and Venezuela. Over lunch, Ministers met with Foreign Ministers from Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.

Speaking following the Council the Tánaiste said:

“I associated myself with the remarks of fellow EU Ministers who expressed deep concern at the deteriorating situation on the ground in Syria, strongly condemning the attacks against civilians and calling for the immediate and full implementation of the ceasefire as agreed by the UN Security Council, to allow humanitarian access for the population.

I also took the opportunity to update EU colleagues on my recent discussions with US Secretary of State Tillerson and Jared Kushner on the Middle East Peace Process. I urged that EU should play a strong and proactive role on any new peace initiative, and I also encouraged the Palestinians and other regional interlocutors to engage constructively on this.

I welcomed the adoption of Council Conclusions on Moldova, and urge the government there to swiftly implement reforms to address corruption and strengthen democratic institutions. Ministers also discussed developments in Venezuela, expressing deep concern at the deteriorating humanitarian, economic, political and social situation.”