Brussels (PR) : On Thursday an informal meeting of ministers of foreign affairs of the EU member states took place in Brussels. The Czech delegation was led by Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Lipavský. The heads of diplomacy discussed the Russian war in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East. There was also an exchange of views on foreign policy issues with the Turkish Foreign Minister.
Negotiations on Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine took place with the personal participation of Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, who informed about current developments on the battlefield. Minister Jan Lipavský called for further military support for the attacked country and informed about the steps taken by the Czech Republic in this direction.
The head of Czech diplomacy also appealed for the adoption of the Czech proposal to limit the movement of persons with Russian diplomatic cover within the Schengen area. According to him, the Russian diplomatic network serves to support espionage and hybrid activities, with the fact that there are several thousand such persons in Europe. There is a group of countries that support this proposal: Romania, Poland, Denmark, the Netherlands and the three Baltic countries. This group needs to be further expanded and to talk to those who are still reticent, ” added Minister Lipavský.
Another point of discussion was the situation in the Middle East. Minister Lipavský expressed concern over the escalation of the security situation on the Israeli-Lebanese border and concerns about the ongoing threat from Iran and its allies. At the same time, he supported ongoing international negotiations for a ceasefire and the release of hostages. He reminded that the Czech Republic takes the humanitarian situation in Palestine seriously and tries to contribute to its improvement in cooperation with partners.
During a working lunch with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, an exchange of views took place on joint foreign policy topics. Minister Lipavský supported the resumption of negotiations on the modernization of the customs union, of which Turkey is a part, as soon as the necessary conditions are met. The discussion also touched on Russian aggression against Ukraine and other current topics.
Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González joined the final point via video conference. Ministers and foreign ministers debated with him about the unstable political situation in Venezuela after the falsified presidential elections there in July of this year.