Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias will be in Brussels on Monday, 9 February, to participate in a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council (FAC).
The FAC proceedings will start with a discussion of the recent developments in Libya and the negotiations in Geneva on a political solution. The Foreign Ministers will then look at the deteriorating situation in Yemen, as well as at the EU’s regional strategy for Syria and Iraq with regard to the ISIS threat.
During the luncheon, there will be a discussion of the EU’s anti-terrorism activities, ahead of the 12 February European Council.
The FAC afternoon session will look at EU-Africa relations – with emphasis on the political developments in Nigeria, Mali and the Central African Republic – and at the Boko Haram terrorist organization.
Apart from the above issues, on which the FAC will adopt Conclusions, there may also be – depending on developments – a discussion of the issue of Ukraine and the recent escalation of clashes in the country’s eastern provinces.
Following the FAC meeting, Mr. Kotzias will travel to Berlin, where, on the following day, he will meet and hold bilateral consultations with the Foreign Minister of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
In the coming time, Mr. Kotzias will also travel to Paris, Moscow and Kiev, where he will meet with his counterparts, the Foreign Ministers of France, Russia and Ukraine, and discuss issues of bilateral, regional and international interest.
The dates of Foreign Minister Kotzias’s visits to Paris, Moscow and Kiev will be made known in forthcoming announcements from the Foreign Ministry.
Finally, due to his absence abroad, Mr. Kotzias will be unable to address the Hellenic Parliament during the presentation of the government’s policy platform papers.
February 6, 2015