07/11/2017 (Agence Europe) – In Brussels on Monday 6 and Tuesday 7 November, assistant US secretary for European affairs, Wess Mitchell, said on his first trip to Europe since appointment on 12 October, that the trip was ‘very important for me, for the US, to engage closely with our European allies. Brussels is a natural first step because of the presence of NATO, the EU and the very close valued bilateral relationship we have with Belgium.’ He told several journalists, including this newsletter, that he had discussed a very broad agenda including international trade, the transatlantic economy, the security agenda, efforts underway between US and NATO and also EU efforts on the Middle East and Ukraine. He said the aim of the trip was to underscore the bedrock of the US has to be European security and to sustain partnerships with allies in the region. (CG)