Luxembourg Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Jean Asselborn will travel to New York for a working visit to the United Nations Headquarters and Washington to attend the NATO Foreign Ministers' Meeting, from 1 to 4 April 2019.
On Monday 1 April, Minister Asselborn will hold a working meeting in New York with Miguel Ángel Moratinos, the United Nations High Representative for the Alliance of Civilisations. This is the first meeting between Minister Asselborn and High Representative Moratinos since the latter's inauguration in January 2019. The meeting will address major issues of international political news, particularly the situation in the Middle East.
On Tuesday 2 April, the Luxembourg Foreign Minister will deposit with the United Nations Secretary-General the instrument of ratification of the amendments to Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, adopted on 14 December 2017. These amendments reinforce the Statute by adding three war crimes. Luxembourg will thus be the first State party to the Rome Statute to ratify these amendments, reflecting its ongoing commitment to international criminal justice.
On the same day, Minister Asselborn will travel to Washington to attend the NATO Foreign Ministers' Meeting on 3-4 April 2019. The Ministerial Meeting, chaired by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Atlantic Alliance, of which Luxembourg is one of the twelve founding members. The Washington meeting will allow ministers to have a political debate on how to respond to the threats and challenges facing the Alliance at this time.
The first session of the 4 April meeting will focus on the overall state of relations with Russia, with particular emphasis on the two issues of particular concern to the Alliance: the situation following Russia's violations that led tp the United States' decision to withdraw from this treaty and the situation in Ukraine and the Black Sea, five years after the annexation of Crimea and in light of recent incidents near the Kerch Strait.
The second working session will focus on terrorism and emerging strategic security issues. Ministers will look at the situation in the Middle East and North Africa and the implications of the ongoing peace process in Afghanistan for NATO's future engagement in that country. This session will also assess NATO's action in the fight against terrorism, through its operations and its activities to strengthen the defence capabilities of partner countries. NATO Foreign Ministers will conclude their work with a working lunch at which they will have discuss burden-sharing within the Atlantic Alliance. On the sidelines of the ministerial meeting, Jean Asselborn will also have a bilateral meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
During his trip to Washington, Jean Asselborn will finally travel to the Arlington National Cemetery to lay, together with his Belgian counterpart Didier Reynders, a wreath at the monument to the Battle of the Bulge, in honour of the American soldiers who fell during this decisive battle of the Second World War, which will commemorate its 75th anniversary this December.
