The EU and the US agreed on a 7page long joint statement, during the Summit that was held earlier on Tuesday in Brussels. As expected the two sides included a reference on the “Eastern Mediterranean, where differences should be settled through dialogue in good faith and in accordance with international law.”
More specifically the agreed text on paragraph 29 reads as follows:
“We intend to further strengthen our joint engagement in the Western Balkans, including through the EU-facilitated dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina on normalisation of their relations, and by supporting key reforms for EU integration.”
We resolve, EU and US leaders say, “to work hand-in-hand for sustainable deescalation in the Eastern Mediterranean, where differences should be settled through dialogue in good faith and in accordance with international law. We aim for a cooperative and mutually beneficial relationship with a democratic Turkey. We plan to join efforts for a stable and secure Middle East and North Africa.”
“The European Union and the United States welcome the ceasefire in the conflict in the Middle East and reaffirm the need for Israelis and Palestinians to enjoy equal measures of freedom, security, prosperity, and democracy on the basis of a two-State solution,” the statement adds.
“In light of the growing humanitarian needs across Syria and the COVID 19 pandemic, we call on the UN Security Council to ensure that humanitarian aid can reach all people in need in Syria, including through cross border and cross line operations. We also regret the recent illegitimate elections in Syria and call on the international community to hold the Assad regime accountable for its brutal crimes and to work together to advance a political resolution to the conflict in line with UNSC resolution 2254,” the leaders continue.
They also “reaffirm our commitment to support Libya in its path towards peace, security and stability and to work with parties in Yemen to agree to the UN’s proposal for an immediate ceasefire.”
Furthermore the two sides note on the eastern neighbourhood that they are “determined to continue to stand in support of the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of the EU’s Eastern partners and will support the reform path of Ukraine, Georgia, and the Republic of Moldova.”
“We resolve to work towards long-term peace, resilience and stability in the South Caucasus. We stand with the people of Belarus and their demands for human rights and democracy,” they add.
“We resolve to hold the Lukashenko regime to account for its escalating attacks on human rights and fundamental freedoms and for endangering aviation safety through the unprecedented and unacceptable forced diversion of an EU passenger aeroplane under false pretences, and the subsequent arrest of a journalist as part of a continuing assault on opposition voices and the freedom of the press,” they pledge.
“We stand united in our principled approach towards Russia and we are ready to respond decisively to its repeating pattern of negative behaviour and harmful activities, which Russia must address to prevent the further deterioration of relations including on the list of so-called unfriendly states,” the leaders continue.
To coordinate, they say, “our policies and actions we plan to establish an EU-US high-level dialogue on Russia.”
They “condemn Russia’s continued actions to undermine Ukraine’s and Georgia`s sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence. We call on Russia to ensure foreign diplomatic missions in Russia can operate in a safe, secure and productive fashion.”
They urge Russia “to stop its continuous crackdown on civil society, the opposition and independent media and release all political prisoners.”
At the same time, EU and US leaders reaffirm that they “keep channels of communication open and possibilities for selective cooperation in areas of common interest. We also commit to work together to address the urgent and escalating threat from criminal ransomware networks that pose risks to our citizens and companies.”
Finally on China they state that they “intend to closely cooperate on the full range of issues in the framework of our respective similar multi-faceted approaches to China, which include elements of cooperation, competition, and systemic rivalry.”
“We intend to continue coordinating on our shared concerns, including ongoing human rights violations in Xinjiang and Tibet; the erosion of autonomy and democratic processes in Hong Kong; economic coercion; disinformation campaigns; and regional security issues,” the leaders add.
They also note that they “remain seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas and strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo and increase tensions.”
“We reaffirm the critical importance of respecting international law, in particular the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) noting its provisions setting forth the lawful maritime entitlements of States, on maritime delimitation, on the sovereign rights and jurisdictions of States, on the obligation to settle disputes by peaceful means, and on the freedom of navigation and overflight and other internationally lawful uses of the sea,” they say.
“We underscore the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and encourage the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues. We intend also to coordinate on our constructive engagement with China on issues such as climate change and non-proliferation, and on certain regional issues,” EU and US leaders note in their joint statement.
