EU Foreign Ministers to discuss Africa, the Middle East and EU-Ukraine relations
Government Communications Unit
Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Press Release 211/2008
18 July 2008
The EU General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) will meet in Brussels on Tuesday, 22 July. The meeting will focus on key issues concerning Africa and the Middle East, and on the EU-Ukraine relations. Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alexander Stubb, will represent Finland at the meeting.
The Ministers will discuss a range of key African issues such as the situation in Zimbabwe after the presidential elections, the EU operation in Chad and the Central African Republic, and the political situation in Somalia including piracy.
In Finland’s view, the political crisis in Zimbabwe call for a negotiated solution reflecting the will of the Zimbabwe people as expressed during the first election round in March. The second election round, at the end of June, was blighted by increased violence and human rights violations which prevented the opposition from political election campaigning. In addition, the Zimbabwe government’s decision to put a stop to the delivery of humanitarian assistance has increased the plight of the millions of Zimbabweans in need of food aid. At the June European Council, the EU Member States reiterated the Union’s readiness to take additional measures against those responsible for violence.
The Ministers will also examine a mid mandate review after six months of the European Union military operation in the Republic of Chad and in the Central African Republic (operation EUFOR Tchad/RCA). The EU military crisis management efforts together with UN police operations have contributed to the stabilisation of the crisis regions in Darfur with a great number of refugee camps. The activities are backed both by local and international actors and by NGOs.
The Council will discuss the overall situation in Somalia, with a special emphasis on the problem of piracy along the Somali coast.
The Council will also discuss the EU’s relations with Ukraine and, for example, the EU-Ukraine Summit to take place in Evian, France, in September. Finland is in favour of developing the EU-Ukraine relations and urges Ukraine to continue its reforms.
The Foreign Ministers will discuss the Middle East peace process and Tony Blair, Official Envoy of the Quartet on the Middle East, will provide the Council with an assessment of the situation. The efforts taken by the EU and its partners to resolve the Iranian nuclear programme problem will also be discussed.
Other themes will include the Western Balkans, mainly in the light of the situation in Serbia, and transatlantic relations.
Further information: Mika Kaijamo, Project Advisor, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 9 160 56204 6204 or +358 40 758 2002