Russia, Georgia and Syria to chair first EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting by Kaja Kallas

Eduardo González The new EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, will chair her first EU Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) in Brussels on Monday, which will address additional military support to Ukraine, the situation in Georgia and the situation in Syria following the fall of the “criminal regime” of Bashar al-Assad, the Council has announced. First, EU foreign ministers will discuss Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, following an informal exchange of views by videoconference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha. The ministers will then discuss how to step up EU military support to meet Ukraine’s most urgent needs and address the need to put even more pressure on Russia and its supporters, in particular through additional restrictive measures. The ministers will also exchange views on EU involvement in any future peace process related to Ukraine. The Foreign Affairs Council will also exchange views on the latest developments in Georgia, following the announcement by the Georgian government on 28 November of its intention to suspend the country's EU accession process until 2028 and the subsequent mass protests and increasing acts of violence against demonstrators, the media and the political opposition. EU ministers will also exchange views on Belarus ahead of the presidential elections scheduled for 26 January 2025. The Council will also hold a debate on the latest developments in Syria, Lebanon and the Middle East. On Syria, ministers are expected to discuss the EU's involvement in reviving the political process within the framework of UN Security Council Resolution 2254 and confirm their support for UN efforts and for the unity, stability and territorial integrity of Syria. The Council will then examine options to support the ceasefire and enhance prospects for further sustainable de-escalation in Lebanon, a symmetrical implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and the strengthening of state institutions, in particular the Lebanese armed forces. Finally, the ministers will exchange views on how to support a solution to the Middle East crisis, in order to try to revive dialogue and achieve a ceasefire, the release of all hostages, facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza and, “ultimately”, promote the two-State solution. In this context, the High Representative is expected to underline the need to hold as soon as possible an Association Council with Israel and the first-ever High-Level Dialogue with the Palestinian Authority.

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