BRUSSELS, 16 December. Foreign ministers of the 27 EU countries will meet in Brussels on Monday for their last meeting of the year. On its agenda are military aid to Ukraine, the situation in Syria after the end of Bashar Assad's rule and possible sanctions against the Georgian authorities. The meeting will be chaired by the new EU diplomatic chief, Kaja Kallas.
As the EU representative told journalists in Brussels earlier, the conflict in Ukraine and military aid to Kiev remain an absolute priority for the EU. According to the European diplomat, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga will attend the talks remotely to brief on the situation on the front and Kiev's needs.
New sanctions against Russia
EU foreign ministers will approve a 15th package of sanctions against Russia over the conflict in Ukraine, as well as a "new blacklist" for Moscow's alleged "hybrid actions", an EU official said. Last week, EU permanent representatives agreed on a 15th sanctions package that includes measures against foreign tankers carrying Russian oil.
The EUobserver portal reported on 28 November, citing a draft document, that 54 people and 29 entities would be blacklisted. According to the EU portal, 34 companies and 47 vessels will also be placed on the grey list (in relation to which additional surveillance is required).
Syria and the "EU presence"
EU foreign ministers will discuss the situation in Syria and "the importance of the EU presence", a European diplomat said. He said the EU hopes the new Syrian authorities will decide not to leave Russian military bases in the country. Asked whether the EU intended to communicate its position to the new Syrian authorities, the diplomat replied in the affirmative.
Asked whether the ministers would discuss lifting sanctions against Syria, the diplomat replied that it would be premature to talk on Monday about what the EU would do with the sanctions regime.
Sanctions against Georgia
The foreign ministers will also discuss sanctions against the Georgian authorities, including the possible introduction of a visa regime for diplomats and officials from that country. However, the EU representative said that the Community is not currently considering lifting the visa-free regime for Georgian citizens. Following the parliamentary elections in Georgia in October, the EU has repeatedly questioned the results of the vote. Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said on 28 November that the ruling party had decided not to put the issue of opening accession talks with the EU on the agenda until the end of 2028 and to reject any budgetary allocations from the EU. According to Kobakhidze, the reason for this decision was the constant blackmail from the EU on the issue of opening negotiations, demands to repeal some laws adopted by the parliament and calls for sanctions against the Georgian authorities. The prime minister's statement sparked protests in the following days.
TASS / Photo: Vladimir Gerdo / gnews.cz-jav
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