In Luxembourg, EU Foreign Ministers discussed the situacion in Kyrgyzstan and other important issues

At the session of Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union on 14 June in Luxembourg, the heads of diplomacy from EU member states discussed issues of Kyrgyzstan, Gaza, the Corfu Process, Iran, the Western Balkans, Haiti and Somalia.

The Ministers also approved the report by the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton on the ongoing debate with the European Parliament regarding the creation of the European External Action Service (EEAS) and reached a general consensus on the implementation of the European citizens’ initiative.

At the Foreign Affairs Council, the Ministers adopted conclusions on the situation in Kyrgyzstan. Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs called on the EU to provide urgent humanitarian aid not only to Kyrgyzstan, but also to Uzbekistan, where Kyrgyz refugees were fleeing across the border. Minister Audronius Ažubalis welcomed the departure of the EU’s Special Representative for Central Asia Pierre Morel to the location of the crisis, but stressed that the EU had no early warning and crisis management mechanism which would allow responding to crises timely and effectively.

The Foreign Affairs Council discussed the EU’s position at the forthcoming informal foreign ministers’ meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) on 16-17 July in Kazakhstan. Minister A.Ažubalis highlighted the importance of the EU’s common position on the Corfu Process.

According to the Minister, the OSCE states have to agree on clear guidelines for the process. Lithuania’s Chairmanship of the OSCE in 2011 is ready to coordinate further progress of the process.

The Corfu Process was launched on 27-28 June at an informal meeting of OSCE foreign ministers on the Greek island of Corfu. The process aims to take forward the dialogue on European security.

The ministers in Luxembourg welcomed the adoption on 9 June of the UN resolution regarding additional sanctions against Iran and reaffirmed their commitment to seek a negotiated diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear issue. The Foreign Affairs Council discussed the scope of the EU’s additional sanctions against Iran.

According to Minister A.Ažubalis, restrictive measures against Iran and dialogue are two equally important elements of the EU policy that reinforce each other.

The Ministers discussed Serbia’s cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Prosecutor of the Tribunal Serge Brammertz participated in the discussion.

Head of Lithuania’s diplomacy drew the attention of his counterparts to the necessity to discuss not only Serbia’s cooperation with the Tribunal, but also to talk about the investment climate and fight against corruption in this country. Therefore, Lithuania, as most of the EU member states, speaks up for a gradual development of relations with Serbia. The Ministers agreed to submit the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with Serbia to their parliaments for ratification.

Minister A.Ažubalis expressed support for opening Macedonia’s EU accession negotiations, which were delayed for half a year to solve the problem with Macedonia’s constitutional name.

“Macedonia is implementing the necessary reforms for opening the negotiations, and the European Commission believes that this country has the capacity to open the EU accession negotiations. This is the issue of the credibility of the EU’s enlargement strategy,” Minister A.Ažubalis said.

The Ministers discussed the EU’s relations with Cuba and decided not to adopt any conclusions on Cuba, but firstly to continue close monitoring of the human rights situation in the country and to discuss the progress in this area in autumn 2010. Minister A.Ažubalis stressed that since the last debate at the Foreign Affairs Council a year ago, in June 2009, the situation in Cuba had not changed - the human rights situation was not improving and the Cuban Government did not demonstrate any wish to change the situation. Lithuania believes that currently there is no reason to change the EU’s common position on Cuba.

The EU foreign ministers also discussed possibilities to ease Gaza blockade with the Middle East Quartet Representative Tony Blair.

Before the session of the Foreign Affairs Council started, Minister A.Ažubalis participated in an informal meeting of the Friends of Moldova group, during which the proposal of the Lithuanian and Moldovan foreign ministers to organize a high-level meeting of the Friends of Moldova group in Chisinau this autumn was approved in principle.