U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with his European counterparts gathered for the Foreign Affairs Council on Monday, 22 February.
At the end of the discussion, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell and U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price highlighted strengthening the transatlantic relationship.
“[W]e have had a very positive discussion that shows that the focus now is not only on deepening our partnership, but also on joint global leadership: in fighting the pandemic, dealing with recovery, mitigating climate change, and ensuring the promotion of democratic values,” Mr Borrell was pleased to tell the media; he also expressed his appreciation that each considers the other “as the best partner”.
According to Ned Price, Mr Blinken “highlighted the United States’ commitment to repairing, revitalizing, and raising the level of ambition in the U.S.-EU relationship” and “the importance of close cooperation with the EU and member states to address global challenges on the basis of shared values such as democracy, human rights, and multilateralism”.
Beyond reaffirming cooperation, Europeans welcome the return of a true partner. “There is a lot of satisfaction—a certain renewed serenity”, explained one European source. The High Representative found the conversation “very positive and heart touching” for that matter. “It was a human touch that goes further than just the political considerations”, he added.
During the two-hour discussion—in the course of which all of the European ministers took the floor—numerous topics were broached, including relations with China, Russia, Iran, Covid-19, climate change, and strengthening the [U.S.-EU] partnership in Ukraine, Eastern Partnership countries, and the Western Balkans.
“[W]e discussed our security and defence cooperation and how a stronger Europe can participate globally with the U.S. in order to provide security”, Mr Borrell added. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)