Today’s EU Foreign Affairs Council took place in virtual format. In addition to the situation in Ukraine and Belarus, the focus was placed on Myanmar and Ethiopia.
Regarding the tense situation in Ukraine, Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg emphasised:
I am extremely concerned about the breach of the ceasefire on the line of contact and about the Russian troop movements along the border and in Crimea. This is playing with fire. Every wrong step could result in a disaster.
We need restraint and de-escalation now. It is essential to use existing, confidence-building formats; the Trilateral Contact Group (Ukraine, Russia, OSCE), the Normandy Format (Germany, France, Ukraine and Russia) and the OSCE have proven particularly effective.
The situation in Belarus is also difficult. Minsk is blocking any dialogue with civil society and trying to sit out the crisis.
Sanctions cannot be the EU’s only response here. Austriais therefore continuing its activities with Belarusian civil society,
said Foreign Minister Schallenberg.
The Council also dealt with conflict regions outside Europe. In Myanmar, what began with the suppression of peaceful protests by the military junta is threatening to bring the country to the brink of civil war.
We must show the junta that there are consequences to its actions. This includes further targeted sanctions, for the first time also against companies closely linked to the military,
Foreign Minister Schallenberg demands.
Somewhat out of the public eyeis the conflict playing out in Tigray, which, in addition to the resurgence of unresolved border disputes with Sudan, is hitting Ethiopia hard. Moreover, Foreign Minister Schallenberg warns that tensions over the filling of the Great Renaissance Dam on the Nile also harbour massive potential for conflict. He therefore renewed his offer to support future negotiations with Austrian expertise:
We have a lot of experience in the joint management of rivers in Central Europe, even in times when Europe was still divided by the Iron Curtain. During my trip to Ethiopia in January, I offered Austria’s expertise as the host country of the International Danube Protection Commission.
It is important that Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt reach a comprehensive agreement that respects the interests of all three countries concerned. Just like the Danube, the Nile should also in the future be a lifeline that connects and does not divide, concluded Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg.
