Today, Foreign Minister Michael Linhart attended the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg for the first time. The agenda for the meeting included strengthening relations between the EU and the Gulf region, the EU’s Eastern Partnership, and the war in Ethiopia.
During his visit to Luxembourg, Linhart also met with EU chief diplomat Josep Borrell. In their meeting, Linhart – who had travelled to Bosnia and Herzegovina last weekend for his first official trip – emphasised the strategic importance of the Western Balkan states for the EU.
Other topics of the Council meeting included current global crises. The situation remains particularly concerning in Ethiopia, where civil war broke out in the province of Tigray a year ago. Since then, many serious human rights violations and atrocities have occurred. Linhart demanded that the perpetrators of these severe human rights violations be held accountable.
The situation in Afghanistan was also on the agenda of the meeting. Linhart emphasised the need for on-site assistance. With an aid package totalling 20 million euros, Austria is making an important contribution toward stabilising the region.
The tense relations between the EU and Belarus were also addressed. Since Belarus continues to bring migrants to the external EU border intentionally, new sanctions against the authoritarian regime of Alexander Lukashenko are on the table.
The Austrian foreign minister said:
It is simply not possible to use migration as a weapon against the EU while also acting in an entirely inhumane way.
Alongside today’s meeting of EU foreign ministers, Linhart also talked with his Libyan counterpart Najla El Mangoush about the planned elections and the peace process in Libya. He promised Austria’s full support for the political process in Libya.
Foreign Minister Michael Linhart also said:
The country’s division must be overcome. We need a stable Libya, particularly in order to prevent illegal migration via the Mediterranean Sea.
