FOREIGN AFFAIRS COUNCIL AND GENERAL AFFAIRS COUNCIL MEETINGS TO BE HELD IN BRUSSELS
On November 18 Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Linas Linkevičius will attend the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council meeting that is going to take place in Brussels. This will be the last political discussion ahead of the upcoming 3rd Eastern Partnership Summit, due on November 28-29. Foreign ministers will discuss the draft of the Joint Declaration and Ukraine’s progress in implementing the 10 December 2012 Conclusions of the Foreign Affairs Council on Ukraine.
The discussion on Syria will focus on prospects and challenges for the Geneva II peace conference. The agenda of the meeting also includes a discussion on political situation in Egypt and Iraq. There is a possibility of discussion on Libya depending on the latest developments in the country. The Foreign Ministers Council meeting will discuss the EU’s Southern neighbourhood as well as migration flows in the Mediterranean region in the context of the October 3 tragedy near the island of Lampedusa.
The Foreign Ministers Council meeting will also take stock of the preparations for the upcoming 16th EU-China summit on 21 November in Beijing. The Council will also debate the situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The agenda of this Council also includes a joint meeting of the foreign affairs and defence ministers in preparation for the December European Council that is set to deal with issues related to defence. The Foreign Affairs Council in defence configuration will be held on November 19.
After the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council Minister L. Linkevičius will attend a high level public event – policy dialogue “Do EU sanctions work?” which is organised by the European Policy Centre think tank.
The General Affairs Council meeting will also take place in Brussels on November 19.
