Jean Asselborn, Luxembourg's Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, at the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels; Credit: MAEE

On Monday 20 January 2020, Luxembourg's Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Jean Asselborn, participated in the European Union Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels.

The Council began with a discussion on current international issues. Firstly, the ministers present addressed the situation in Libya, in light of the results of the conference at the Berlin summit on 19 January. They also took stock of the latest developments in Bolivia and Venezuela.

In his speech, Jean Asselborn praised Germany's role as the host country for the conference on Libya. He welcomed the fact that "we have returned to a UN logic, as desired by the Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, Ghassan Salamé, allowing the initiative to be taken up". 

In this context, Minister Asselborn also stressed that the appropriate time had come "to relaunch the European Union's Sophia mission, which has always had the aim of countering arms traffickers and migrants". He recalled that Luxembourg has made maritime surveillance aircraft available to the Sophia mission and that it is ready to continue its involvement. he also insisted on the key role of the United Nations Security Council in giving a clear mandate which will allow the EU to implement the conclusions of the Berlin conference, in partnership with the Arab League and the African Union.

The ministers then had an in-depth exchange of views on the Sahel, namely concerning ways to strengthen the EU's commitment to supporting these countries. On this occasion, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, Stef Blok, made a statement on behalf of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, in his capacity as President-in-Office of the Benelux. For his part, Jean Asselborn recalled that "Luxembourg plays its role in this region which has been a priority for a long time. Each year, Luxembourg invests nearly €100 million in its partner countries in the Sahel: Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger [and] Senegal, using an approach combining the tools of diplomacy, development and defence, the 3Ds”.

In addition, Minister Asselborn announced that this year Luxembourg will step up its engagement on the ground. He stated: "We will support the EU military training mission in Mali (EUTM Mali) with a contingent of 27 people to strengthen force protection, and we will support the United Nations mission in Mali, MINUSMA, by putting satellite communication capacities available to link the regional sectors to the MINUSMA headquarters".

Ministers then discussed how the EU can mobilise diplomatic resources and use the opportunity of the summits planned for 2020 to encourage third countries to step up their action to fight climate change. Minister Asselborn mentioned the important link between climate and human rights and stressed the importance of coordinating diplomatic efforts in preparation for COP26 in Glasgow. He added that "the inclusion of an essential clause respecting compliance with the Paris Agreement in our trade agreements is an important measure". In this context, the Council adopted conclusions on climate diplomacy.

Finally, the ministers had an informal lunch on the Middle East peace process and the wider Middle East. On this occasion, they exchanged views on the question of the recognition of the State of Palestine by the EU member states, following Jean Asselborn's letter on the subject last month to Josep Borrell, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission. 

During his speech, Minister Asselborn recalled the importance of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and stressed that "there will be no peace without a Palestinian State. It is unacceptable that the two-state solution is made impossible by accomplished facts". He spoke in favour of a debate on the advisability of recognition of the State of Palestine by all the member states before it was too late: "We must fight against the policy of colonisation, [which is] illegal under international law. It is an acknowledgment that international law applies to everyone, and that it cannot be flouted".