EU foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels for the first time since coronavirus lockdown restrictions have been lifted in Belgium, and they have a wide range of issues to discuss. Deteriorating relations with Turkey over illegal drilling in the eastern Mediterranean, possible violations of the Libya arms embargo, add to that the bloc’s relations with China over the new security law in Hong Kong.
Greece’s foreign minister is pushing for a list of possible sanctions against Ankara, for ‘violating the sovereign rights of Greece and Cyprus’, over energy exploration in the eastern Mediterranean. Turkey has sent vessels to drill for gas in an area of the Mediterranean where Cyprus says it has exclusive rights. However, no immediate measures are expected against Ankara.
Sweden has joined France and Germany in calling for a stronger response to China’s new security law in Hong Kong. Arriving at the meeting this morning, the Swedish Foreign Minister Anne Linde voiced support for a stronger response, “because we need to react to what is happening in Hong Kong,” she said.
Among the measures proposed by France and Germany are extending the EU’s export ban on items that could be used for torture or repressive policing, like rubber bullets, giving activists long-term refugee status in the EU and allowing more Hong Kong students to study in Europe.
Source: Euro News
Global site 
Finnish site