Tánaiste attends informal meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Vienna
News
30 August 2018
Tánaiste attends informal meeting of EU Foreign Ministers
The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Coveney T.D., will attend an informal meeting of EU Foreign Ministers, hosted by the Austrian Presidency in Vienna on 30 – 31 August.
Speaking before the meeting the Tánaiste stated:
"This meeting is an important opportunity for EU Ministers to hold informal discussions on foreign policy issues and on how the EU can best engage with and respond to global developments.
We will have a wide-ranging discussion on the Middle East, beginning with the EU’s engagement with Israelis and Palestinians. In light of the deteriorating situation on the ground, Ministers will reflect on how we can ensure that the EU’s support for the region is focussed on delivering a two-state solution. On Iran, the EU will continue to support implementation of the Iran nuclear agreement, and to support EU business in trading with Iran. We will also take stock of the situation in Syria. Ireland fully supports the Special Envoy and his efforts to bring about a Syrian-owned and Syrian-led political solution to the conflict.
My colleagues and I will also discuss transatlantic relations. We will consider how the EU and the US can best work together to meet the challenges we all face at global level, including economic and social well-being, climate change, the fight against terrorism, poverty, hunger and disease, as well as our shared commitment to peace and security.
Ministers will also touch on recent developments in the Western Balkans as a follow up to the EU-Western Balkans Summit, which took place in Sofia in May. Ireland is a strong supporter of EU enlargement and the European perspective of the Western Balkans, and we will continue to encourage and support these countries as they make progress on their European path.
Finally, EU Ministers will exchange views with the Foreign Ministers of candidate countries on promoting effective multilateralism. Ireland believes strongly in a rules-based order and strengthening the multilateral system, with the UN at its core."
ENDS
Press Office
30 August 2018
