(L-R) Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Cooperation and Foreign Trade, Xavier Bettel; Germany's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Annalena Baerbock;
Credit: MAEE
On Friday 5 January 2024, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Cooperation and Foreign Trade, Xavier Bettel, paid a working visit to Berlin, where he was received by his German counterpart, Annalena Baerbock.
The meeting allowed Ministers Bettel and Baerbock to focus on the “excellent bilateral relations” between Luxembourg and Germany and the means to further strengthen them, particularly in the areas of mobility and teleworking. The exemplary cross-border cooperation between the two countries was also mentioned.
The working meeting was also an opportunity to exchange views on the main current European and international issues, including in particular the reform and enlargement of the EU, the situation in the Middle East and the Russian aggression against Ukraine, noted the Luxembourg Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Cooperation and Foreign Trade.
Both ministers stressed the importance of the European Union to keep Russian aggression against Ukraine on the European agenda. In this regard, they emphasised that the EU must preserve its unity and continue its support of Ukraine.
Regarding the latest developments in the Middle East, Minister Bettel expressed concern about the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and called for a humanitarian ceasefire and rapid implementation of Resolution 2720, adopted by the Security Council, to allow unimpeded and expanded access to humanitarian assistance to Gaza.
Finally, the urgency of relaunching the process aimed at establishing a just and lasting peace was also mentioned.
