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Afghanistan, the Gulf and Iran, and Sudan on agenda for Foreign Ministers’ discussion

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Coveney T.D. will join his European counterparts at the Foreign Affairs Council on Monday (11 November) in Brussels to discuss Afghanistan and Regional Security in the Gulf and Iran. EU Foreign Ministers will also exchange views with the Prime Minister of Sudan over lunch.

Speaking ahead of the meeting the Tánaiste stated:

My EU colleagues and I will assess the current situation in Afghanistan following September’s Presidential elections. Ireland believes that negotiating a comprehensive peace deal for Afghanistan requires patience and compromise from all sides and we call for the meaningful participation of Afghan women in all stages of the peace process, which is essential if lasting peace is to be achieved in Afghanistan.  

We will also discuss the situation in the Gulf, and recent developments in relation to the JCPOA, or the Iran nuclear deal. In the face of rising tensions in the region, all parties must exercise maximum restraint and seek to reduce tensions. We continue to believe that there is no credible peaceful alternative to the JCPOA and urge Iran to return to full compliance of the agreement without delay.

EU Foreign Ministers will then take stock of recent events in Sudan with the recently appointed Prime Minister of Sudan, Dr Abdalla Hamdok. Ireland warmly welcomes the power-sharing agreement reached in Sudan in August between the military and the opposition after months of turmoil and violence. Ireland continues to respond to ongoing humanitarian needs in Sudan and has provided €3.5million in humanitarian funding through our partners since the beginning of 2019.