The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Xavier Bettel, took part in the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) of the Council of the European Union, held in Brussels on 27 May 2024.
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(l. to r.) Xavier Bettel, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade; Retno Marsudi, Indonesian Minister for Foreign Affairs
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( l. to r.) n.c.; Annalena Baerbock, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs; Xavier Bettel, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade
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( l. to r.) Xavier Bettel, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade; Hadja Lahbib, Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Foreign Trade, and Belgium's Federal Cultural Institutions
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(l. to r.) n.c.; Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar; Xavier Bettel, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade
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(l. to r.) Xavier Bettel, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade; Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Danish Minister for Foreign Affairs
The ministers held an informal exchange of views via videoconference with their Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, before discussing the EU's continued support for Ukraine.
The FAC also provided an opportunity for the ministers to discuss the latest developments in the Middle East. Minister Bettel and his European counterparts first exchanged views on this topic with the Foreign Ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, as well as with the Secretary General of the League of Arab States.
Developments in the region, particularly in the Gaza Strip, were also discussed among the European ministers. Xavier Bettel expressed his deep concern at the continuing Israeli offensive towards Rafah and the recent attacks by extremist settlers on humanitarian aid convoys.
‘Tens of thousands of civilians have once again been displaced and have no place to take shelter. The protection of civilians on all sides and the release of hostages remain our absolute priority. This is why an immediate humanitarian ceasefire must be established in the Gaza Strip, and we must support all efforts to this end, both at European and bilateral level", emphasised Xavier Bettel. While humanitarian assistance by land has virtually come to a standstill, the Minister also insisted that Israel must allow the Rafah crossing to be reopened for aid access, and facilitate the distribution of humanitarian aid inside Gaza.
With regard to the recent ruling by the International Court of Justice on the Israeli offensive in Rafah, Minister Bettel reiterated the importance of universal respect for the decisions of international bodies: 'For Luxembourg, as a member state of the United Nations, it is clear that international law applies equally to everyone. And it is precisely this approach that we must continue to uphold as an international community. Israel must implement the interim measures decided by the Court without delay’.
The FAC programme also included discussions on the current situation in Georgia, Venezuela and Haiti.
Finally, on the fringes of the FAC, Xavier Bettel had a bilateral meeting with Indonesia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi.
Press release by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade