On Tuesday 5 December, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson underlined the importance of their cooperation and of the partnership between the EU and US – despite there being many subjects of disagreement between the two parties.
Mogherini told press that her meeting with Tillerson and the lunch organised by the European foreign ministers confirmed "the importance the EU and US attach to their close partnership and cooperation". The meeting and lunch also enabled them "to renew their commitment to close cooperation on many subjects". According to Tillerson, the transatlantic partnership "dates back a long way, and is based on shared values and shared objectives for the security and prosperity" of both blocs.
When arriving at the meeting, several minsters highlighted the different points of view on either side of the Atlantic. Lithuania's minister, Linas Linkevicius, thus recognised that "it was not a secret that there were a few contradictions, and differences of view on certain big questions". For his German counterpart, Sigmar Gabriel, the objective of the meeting was "to do our utmost not to put too much distance between us". "We need each other despite recent irritations", he said. Belgium's foreign minister, Didier Reynders, wanted EU-US ministerial meetings to be held twice a year in order "to show that the relationship continues and that we want to strengthen it".
EU criticises US position on Jerusalem. Not leaving out the differences of opinion, Mogherini implicitly denounced Washington's possible recognition of Jerusalem as the indivisible capital of Israel. The EU supports "the resumption of a meaningful peace process towards a two-state solution. We believe that any action that would undermine these efforts must absolutely be avoided", Mogherini stated. "A way must be found through negotiations to resolve the status of Jerusalem as the future capital of both states so that the aspiration of both parties can be fulfilled", she added, saying that the issue would be discussed with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is expected in Brussels on Monday 11 December, and with the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, early next year. Mogherini also said that the EU would continue working with the international and regional partners, including the Quartet (of which the US is part) with a view to the resumption of negotiations.
Another sensitive subject is that of the agreement on the Iranian nuclear programme –with the US Congress being due to decide in the next few weeks whether or not to take out new measures against Tehran. "Continued implementation of the Iran nuclear deal is a key strategic priority for European security but also for regional and global security", Mogherini stated. While she recognised that there were other issues with regard to Iran that should be discussed and tackled together (its role in the region and its ballistic missile tests), she stated that these issues were outside the agreement. "The European Union is willing to work closely with the United States on these issues on the basis of continued US implementation of the nuclear deal", she said. "Dismantling an agreement on nuclear issues that is working (...) would not put us in a better position to discuss all the rest on the country", she said. While underlining the joint efforts of the EU and US for Iran to fully respect the terms of the nuclear agreement, Tillerson added that it was important to recognise that the Iranians were carrying out destabilising actions in the region – and he gave the examples of Yemen, Syria and support for Hezbollah. "These issues and activities of Iran cannot be ignored and cannot go unanswered, and we intend to continue to take action to ensure Iran understands this is not acceptable to us – and we look forward to working with European partners in that regard as well", he said, stating he thought it was a threat to many EU-US shared values.
Saying that the lunch with ministers, which took place after the press meeting, would also focus on cooperation in international fora, Mogherini highlighted the EU's strong and trustworthy support of the multilateral system. After its withdrawal from UNESCO and the Paris Climate Agreement, Washington announced its withdrawal from the Pact on migrants on 2 December.
Mogherini and Tillerson also spoke about more consensual matters, such as the defeat of so-called Islamic State and the fight against terrorism, the commitment of both parties in the Western Balkans and the crisis in Syria. Mogherini stated that both parties considered it urgent to move forward quickly in the political transition process. Highlighting North Korea, Tillerson said the US appreciated the EU's determined position to send out the message that it does not accept Pyongyang's nuclear programme and that the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula was a common objective. "The economic pressures will continue until North Korea changes tack" and commits to talks in this direction, he said. Tillerson also hailed the cooperation between the EU and NATO, and once again called on the European partners to respect their commitment of spending 2% of GDP on defence.
According to a press release from the Council, the lunch with the ministers focused on the Middle East peace process, Syria, the approach to Russia and cooperation with Ukraine, and on tension in the Korean peninsula. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)