Greek Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Dendias is attending the two-day Informal Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of European Union member states (‘Gymnich’) in the city of Brest, France, on Thursday and Friday.
Dendias was welcomed by his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian and by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs & Security Policy Josep Borrell.
“A frank discussion should be held on what threatens the EU in the Eastern Mediterranean region,” Dendias said in doorstep statements. Violations of International Law and disputes over sovereign rights must also be addressed, he noted.
Foreign ministers will also discuss the EU’s Strategic Compass during a joint session with Defence Ministers of EU member states, ahead of the meeting with state leaders in March. The Strategic Compass concerns the 2030 targets for European defense.
The security situation in Eastern Europe, particularly in Ukraine and Belarus, will also be discussed in the meeting’s first session on Thursday evening.
A second session will be held on Friday, which will look into EU-China relations; this will be followed by a working lunch hosted by the French Presidency to discuss EU-African Union relations.
Referring to upcoming EU-Africa talks at Brest after his recent visits to African countries (Rwanda, Ghana, Nigeria, Angola & Gabon), Dendias stressed that the EU, as an economic entity near Africa, has a lot to discuss with it and contribute to its future.
