Minister of Foreign Affairs Giorgos Katrougalos will travel to Luxembourg on Monday 17 June to participate in the EU Foreign Affairs Council.

In the context of the Council meeting, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and his Cypriot counterpart, Mr. Christodoulides, will brief their European colleagues on Turkey's escalating illegal activities in the Cypriot EEZ and discuss with them the EU’s appropriate reaction.

In addition, international and regional matters will be discussed, focusing on the situation in Sudan in view of the recent developments in the African country. The latest developments in Venezuela and Iran are also expected to be discussed. The talks among the Foreign Ministers will also centre on the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), as well as on ways to further improve its effectiveness, in light of the modern geopolitical challenges faced by the EU and its member states. Moreover, on the sidelines of the Council, the Foreign Ministers will have the chance to exchange views with their counterpart from Jordan about the situation in the Middle East.

The Foreign Ministers, along with the Ministers of Defence, are then expected to discuss the EU Global Strategy and review the progress that has been achieved in the three years since its adoption.

On the following day, Tuesday 18 June, the Minister of Foreign Affairs will travel to Brussels, where he will represent Greece at the High-Level Conference on Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC)-EU Cooperation. Greece will be taking over the chairmanship of the BSEC as of next month. The Conference talks are expected to focus on ways to further promote cooperation in the wider Black Sea region.