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Defence Minister participates in the EU Foreign Affairs Council
19/05/2015
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The EU Foreign Affairs Council in
composition of Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defence was held
yesterday in Brussels. The Council focused on issues of external
security and defence and approved the Council’s Conclusions on the
Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). The meeting was presided over
by the EU High Representative on Foreign and Security Policy, Mrs
Federica Mogherini, while, the NATO’s Secretary General, Mr Jens
Stoltenberg, was also present.
The Council decided the undertaking of
military operation in the context of CSDP, aiming to tackle the illegal
human trafficking networks in Southern Central Mediterranean. The new
operation, which will be based on a relevant resolution of the UN
Security Council, will allow the inspection on suspicious vessels,
arrestments and taking all necessary measures, including the seizure of
vessels of migrants trafficking.
The Ministers also had the opportunity to
exchange views on the issue of the review of the European Security
Strategy. Speaking on behalf of Cyprus, the Minister of Defence, Mr
Christoforos Fokaides, stressed the need for the member states to “own”
the procedure, noting that transparency and mutual consultation are
needed, in order to ensure the legitimacy of the procedure itself, and,
consequently, the success of the project. He also noted the coherent and
strategic approach that should characterize the new Security Strategy,
as well as its long term character. Moreover, Mr Fokaides referred to
the necessity for strategic cooperation with international
organizations, such as the UN, and other partners, given the inability
of the EU to solely address the global security challenges.
Concluding, he stressed the importance of
the cooperation with the Mediterranean countries, while he underlined
the need for further development of the EU naval potentials, in the
framework of the Maritime Security Strategy, especially following the
recent tragedies in the Mediterranean.
During the debate on the ways of addressing
“hybrid” threats, the Minister of Defence welcomed the efforts
undertaken by the EU for their tackling. However, he noted that in the
contemporary complicated security environment there are still a lot to
be made, both for the in-depth understanding of the complexity of the
new threats, as well as for a balanced geographical approach regarding
their tackling, highlighting the upcoming threats from the rise of
extremism and asymmetrical threats in the southern neighborhood of
Europe.
In a separate meeting of Defence Ministers, a
briefing was also made on the development of the EU military
operations, held in the framework of the Common Security and Defence
Policy. A meeting of the Board of the European Defence Agency in
composition of Ministers of Defence was held prior to the common
meeting, during which the action plan was mainly discussed for the
facilitation of the access of small and medium-sized enterprises to
defence industry.
On the sidelines of the Council’s
deliberations, Minister Fokaides held discussions with his counterparts,
as well as with the Executive Director of the European Defence Agency.
Prior to the Council’s meeting, Mr Fokaides participated in the meeting
of the Ministers of Defence of the European People’s Party. |
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