The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, and the new US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, expressed their willingness to cooperate on global challenges in a telephone interview on Thursday 28 January, according to statements from the European External Action Service and the State Department.
The two men discussed “ways to repair, revitalise, and raise the level of ambition in the U.S.-EU relationship”, according to Mr Blinken’s spokesman, Ned Price.
“The Secretary thanked the High Representative for the EU’s leadership in recent years and emphasised the US’ desire to work with the EU and member states to address shared challenges including Covid-19, climate change, transatlantic data flows, and economic cooperation”, he added.
Moreover, according to Mr Price, Messrs Blinken and Borrell agreed to continue close cooperation on China issues. He did not say whether the transatlantic dialogue, created under the Trump administration, would continue.
For its part, the EEAS explained that the heads of diplomacy discussed the importance of renewing the strategic partnership between the EU and the United States in order to tackle urgent global challenges together. They agreed to “to work together on strengthening multilateralism and the rules-based global system, an effort facilitated by the welcome return of the United States to the Paris Agreement and the World Health Organization”.
The High Representative took advantage of the discussion to formally invite the Secretary of State to attend a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council “at the earliest opportunity”. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)