EU foreign ministers to start meeting by remembering quake victims in Turkiye, Syria

The meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers will start on Monday by remembering the victims of the Feb. 6 earthquakes and assessing the bloc’s support for Turkiye and Syria, Anadolu learned on Friday.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell will begin the meeting “by making a reference to the terrible earthquake and the very difficult humanitarian situation in Turkiye and Syria,” a senior EU official told Brussels-based reporters.

The EU top diplomats will then discuss the situation in Ukraine with their Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, as well as the bloc’s support for the country, including military aid and ensuring accountability.

According to the source, the foreign ministers will also discuss a plan recently raised by Estonia to set up a joint procurement system for purchasing arms for Ukraine in a similar way the bloc bought COVID-19 vaccines.

The ministers will adopt sanctions against Iranian individuals under the bloc’s Human Rights Sanctions Regime, the official explained.

The bloc’s 10th sanctions package against Russia is expected to enter into force on the war’s first anniversary, Feb. 24, and blacklist for the first time Iranian entities for military support and involvement in the war in Ukraine.

The EU ministers will also review the situation in Afghanistan, with a special focus on delivering humanitarian aid to the country that suffers from harsh winter conditions.

At the same time, EU diplomacy will try to “push back” on the recent decision of the Taliban regime to exclude women from public offices and education.

The foreign ministers will also touch upon the driving issues of energy and climate diplomacy.

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