Brussels, (PR) : The regular meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) was held in ?Brussels . Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Lipavský and his EU counterparts discussed Russian aggression against Ukraine , the situation in the Middle East, Georgia, the Horn of Africa and relations between the EU and the USA . At the same time, the ministers approved a second package of sanctions in response to Iran’s deliveries of ballistic missiles to Russia, which is using them against Ukraine. He also met with ?the proposed future EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, and his French counterpart, Jean em – Noël em Barrot em .
” Economic support from China towards Russia or any direct supply of weapons is unacceptable. The same applies to Iran. The EU must respond to this ,” said Minister Jan Lipavský after the meeting on Russian aggression against Ukraine, which was also attended by the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrij Sybiha via video conference.
In a discussion on the situation in the Middle East, the head of Czech diplomacy rejected efforts to end the political dialogue between the EU and Israel. Lipavský emphasized that in the dialogue with Israel, it is necessary to find ways to ensure a constant supply of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territories.
The foreign ministers also discussed the post-election situation in Georgia. Lipavský called for an investigation into all irregularities recorded during the October parliamentary elections. He also stated that the Czech Republic actively supports Georgian civil society and independent media.
The Council also addressed relations between the EU and the USA. “The new American administration has a fairly vigorous program that will affect relations between the US and Europe. And this from the point of view of responsibility for our security, from the point of view of spending on armaments and from the point of view of trade policy. We have to prepare for it and be able to look after our own interests,” said Lipavský.
Today, the EU Council proceeded to further sanction Iranian entities. The sanctions concern one person and four companies. For them, it means freezing their assets and banning them from traveling to European Union countries.
On the sidelines of the ministerial meeting, Lipavský met with the Designated High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas and his French counterpart Jean-Noël Barrot, whom he congratulated on his recent assumption of office and expressed his interest in continuing successful cooperation.
The head of the Czech delegation ended his working trip by participating in the Václav Havel European Dialogues discussion at the Prague House in Brussels. In addition to the significance of the November 17 holiday, Lipavský also warned against Russia’s aggressive ideology attacking the very roots of European democracies.