On 30-31 August, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, Simon Coveney T.D. will attend an Informal Meeting of EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs, hosted in Prague by the Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

During the meeting, Ministers will take stock of the current state of EU-Africa relations, six months on from the African Union-European Union Summit in Brussels. Ministers will also discuss the wider implications of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, and the longer-term impact of Russia’s actions, including on the EU’s overall policy approach. An informal lunch with the Foreign Ministers of Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine will take place following the meeting.

Speaking ahead of the discussion on Russian aggression against Ukraine, Minister Coveney said:

“The EU remains committed to supporting Ukraine in the face of Russia’s illegal and unjustifiable military aggression. Our discussion will be another opportunity to analyse the support we have already provided and to consider how we can further counter the challenges created by Russia’s reprehensible actions. Given the broader geopolitical impact of the war, it is important that we also now consider the wider implications of the deterioration in the EU-Russia relationship and discuss how the EU should approach Russia in the future.”

The Minister commented on EU-AU relations:

“The EU’s partnership with the AU is critical for the future peace and prosperity of our two continents, and the Summit earlier this year was an important milestone. Since then, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has had serious consequences for the security and prosperity of both Europe and Africa. The EU, including Ireland, is committed to ensuring that our partnership grows even stronger in the face of those challenges and our discussion is an excellent opportunity to consider how we can achieve this.”