EU Foreign Affairs Ministers met with their counterparts from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine as part of the Eastern Partnership. The aim of this meeting was to reaffirm the European Union’s commitment to the Eastern Partnership. Ministers discussed ways to strengthen engagement with the region and to make the partnership tailored to the needs of these countries.
Foreign Affairs Minister Borg stressed the importance of further investment to strengthen the security and resilience of the region, together with countering disinformation. Minister Borg also highlighted that stepping up investments in connectivity and increased efforts to enable the transfer of knowledge are mutually beneficial avenues for further cooperation.
Following the Eastern Partnership meeting, European Union Ministers met in the Foreign Affairs Council format and discussed the latest developments in relation to Russian aggression against Ukraine, Iran, and other current affairs matters.
On the Russian aggression against Ukraine, Minister Borg deplored the killing of civilians and the strategic destruction of civilian infrastructure by Russia, in particular the critical energy infrastructure. He remarked that during its term on the UN Security Council, Malta will seek to ensure that assistance continues to reach those most affected by this war and retain its focus on ensuring the effectiveness of delivery of this assistance.
Regarding the recent developments in Iran, Minister Borg strongly condemned the execution of protesters, underlining that that the situation is delicate and cannot remain business as usual. The Council adopted Conclusions on Iran.
In the margins of the Eastern Partnership Ministerial meeting, Minister Borg met with the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, Jeyhun Bayramov. The Ministers discussed Malta’s role ahead of the UN Security Council term and the EU’s mediation efforts between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
