Good morning,
We have a full day ahead.
First, we start with the breakfast on Armenia. We have the Foreign Minister of Armenia joining us. They just had elections, and we have seen really increased pressure by Russia to actually change their path. That is why we have to support them to be resilient. That is why we are also discussing with the Minister what more can we do to help them on their path.
Then we discuss Ukraine. Last night, we saw again increased attacks on civilians, also UNESCO Heritage sites. So these are all war crimes that Russia is committing. Of course, we are also coming today with more listings, more sanctions that we have been working on, on the military industrial complex of Russia, but also the shadow fleet. And I also welcome the news of the interception of the shadow fleet by the UK.
Then we have a discussion on the Middle East. Of course, there is the deal that has been announced now by US and Iran, that is much welcomed by everybody. It is the first phase to open the Strait of Hormuz and then move on to the negotiations on the critical topics like the nuclear issue, but also other critical issues that are important for the stability and peace in the region.
And then we will have other topics like Ebola.
We will have other topics also on the agenda that we will discuss, and then we have very good news on the Enlargement process like you just heard from the Enlargement Commissioner.
So, we will have those events later on after the Foreign Affairs Council.
Q&A
Q. [inaudible] Is it time for the Europeans to interact and participate?
Yes, this is exactly what we are going to discuss with the Foreign Ministers, because we have been in contact with Iran, but also the Gulf partners, also our American counterparts to offer help, because we have expertise when it comes to the nuclear negotiations, for example. We can also provide other help, and this is what we are going to discuss with the Foreign Ministers today.
Q. This deal changed a lot the last days. What do you think?
It is much welcomed and fingers crossed that it will be also initialised on Friday because everybody needs the Strait of Hormuz to be open and actually this war to stop. So, it is much welcomed then and we hope that it will last.
Q. High Representative, sanctions against the Israeli Minister will be discussed today?
Yes, it has been proposed by many Member States to sanction the Minister Ben Gvir; we will discuss this. At the moment, my consultations with the Member States is that we do not have the necessary unanimity that we need for this decision.
Q. Madame Kallas, we know that in the 21st package of sanctions there is a ban for Russian combats to enter the EU, but how do you see this could work in practice? Because it sounds good, but how to do that in practice?
We of course have also the intelligence of the people who have participated in the war, and so it is like adding those to the Schengen prohibition list, so that they cannot enter Europe. I am not an expert on the visa and on these issues, but as our experts say it is doable.
Q. On Iran [inaudible] impose sanction against Iran or today you are trying to calm the situation?
Today we are discussing what more can we do now that we enter into this second phase, what Europe can bring to the table. And, of course, we will discuss also the Middle East, the situation in Gaza and West Bank. We will discuss also Lebanon, and we hope that Lebanon is covered by this ceasefire, and of course they still need help. We have provided also the European Peace Facility support to the Lebanese Armed Forces, and we are also discussing, since UNIFIL mission is going to end, whether we are coming with our own operation instead, and what could that mandate be. We have some proposals on the table.
Link to the video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/media/video/I-291199