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Good evening, 

We had our traditional coordination meeting with our EU Foreign Ministers during this [UNGA] week. We do that every UN General Assembly meeting, and the purpose was to discuss the pressing issues and coordinate our outreach to as many countries around the world as possible. 

You know that this is the most charged week in international diplomacy, and we intend to use it to the fullest extent – advocating for peace, respect to the United Nations Charter and multilateralism. 

I want to assure you that the European Union will continue playing its role as a bridge-builder, as an advocate of mutually beneficial solutions and – very important – we are here to carefully listen to our partners. 

That is why today [with] Ministers, we have coordinated our approach on the priorities and objectives for our outreach here at the United Nations.  

Which are these issues? 

Well, first, [the] Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – we have a vital opportunity to get the 2030 Agenda [back] on track. Our offer and key contribution to accelerate the delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals is Global Gateway and our €300 billion in investments, supporting the Sustainable Development Goals’ implementation. 

The second issue is climate and environment. Certainly, we must foster our joint commitments ahead of the COP28. For this, for us, the full implementation of the Paris Agreement will remain at the forefront of our actions. Needless to say, after what we have been witnessing this summer, the world is no longer heating [up], the world is boiling. So many meteorological incidents show that the climate urgency is a reality more than a prospect.  

The third one is the United Nations reform. The world is becoming more and more multipolar and less and less multilateral. It is a paradox because it is the way it is. Our multilateral system has to be more inclusive and effective, and we are committed to playing a leading role in supporting the United Nations Secretary-General’s Common Agenda.  

By the way, I will be delivering a speech on behalf of the European Union at the Ministerial-level meeting on a ‘Pact for the Future’.  

Then, the two specific issues on which the Ministers have been spending most of the time are Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and its global consequences, and the situation in the Sahel. 

These are points which are relevant for everyone, because they have a global impact, and they affect each and every one of us.   

On Sahel, we agreed on the need to reassess our strategy, our approach, our policies and expectations on this region.  

This was a strategic discussion, and our exchanges today were not conceived for immediate conclusions, but served to gather views of the Member States and assess the possible way [forward]. We need a new approach, facing a much more complex environment.  

There is geopolitical instability in the Sahel as it has been demonstrated by the recent succession of coups d'état by the army, by the military. Of course, each country is a different case. Different situations require different approaches without adopting double standards and looking for a common ground. 

We have to remember that we have been the biggest supporter of the region. The biggest supporter in terms of security, development [and] humanitarian aid. We have to underline the importance that we attach to the region. We have been directly affected by events in the Sahel, as neighbours [and] as partners.   

This is also why migration and security are key elements [that] we need to take into account in our strategy that guides our action in development cooperation. Commissioner for International Partnerships [Jutta Urpilainen was] with us today, studying which are the answers that the Member States should implement in their respective policies in order to offer a coherent answer to these crises.  

We insisted on the idea that we need ‘African solutions to African problems’ and we stand ready to support further the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). 

We also reconfirmed our support to President [of Niger, Mohammed] Bazoum and praised his courage and determination. It has been almost two months that President Bazoum [has been] resisting, without electricity, surrounded by his former guards, not willing to resign because he considers and he is the legal authority in Niger.  

We also expressed again our solidarity with France, over the situation of its Ambassador on the ground. So, full solidarity with France and full support to President Bazoum. 

On Ukraine, the immediate priority is peace – but a just peace. The United Nations General Assembly is the most important platform to generate international momentum to advance in the peace efforts. 

We support Ukraine in the face of the military aggression, and we work for a just peace - and here is the moment to do it. 

We want to continue working with Ukraine to ensure a broad support for its Peace Formula from as many United Nations Members as possible. And for that, all the ministers will continue their intense outreach to partners. 

Then comes the food security. We were discussing that with the Secretary-General of the United Nations [António Guterres] the other day. And this problem will be at the heart of our engagement at the UN General Assembly.  

Because Russia continues targeting [Ukrainian] agriculture and exports, facilities, infrastructure and products. This is having a devastating global effect.  

When you block Ukrainian exports of grains and you bomb silos and destroy grain storages, you are creating hunger in the world – as simple as that. Putin is directly attacking food supplies, and their prices across the globe are increasing. We are going to face a scarcity in food which is the direct consequence of the [Russian] attacks against the infrastructure and capacities of Ukraine to export. 

Russia has decided to terminate the Black Sea Grain Initiative. They are attacking the Danube and Black Sea ports [and] generate instability on the global markets.  

And who is going to pay for this, apart from the Ukrainians themselves? The ones who are going to pay most for it are the people in the most vulnerable countries in the world. In Africa, in the Middle East, in Latin America – we will see less food and [it will be] more expensive.

Looking more into our bilateral cooperation with Ukraine, we advanced our discussions on security, and in particular on the Ukraine Assistance Fund within the European Peace Facility, that I proposed to the Ministers in Toledo. 

We will continue discussing, we will discuss with our Ukrainian partners because I can announce to you that we will convene a meeting of the [EU] Foreign Affairs ministers in Kyiv soon, in the coming period. Allow me to keep the precise date, but it will happen soon.  

Finally, I debriefed the Ministers on the latest High-Level Meeting of the Dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia that I hosted last week.  

The Ministers expressed strong support to the High Representative, in his condition of Facilitator of the [Belgrade-Pristina] Dialogue, and to EU Special Representative, Miroslav Lajčák. They expressed concern over the lack of implementation by the Parties of their commitments under the Agreement on the Path to Normalisation - normalisation is a process, it is a path - and its Implementation [Annex]. 

Both Parties agreed on this path to normalisation earlier this year. This is something binding for them, and the Council has been asking the Parties to engage constructively and in good faith in this implementation. 

I hope that, soon, later on, we will issue a statement with the considerations of the Ministers about this Dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, facilitated by the European Union. 

What we want, what we request, is to start the implementation based on our proposal, without further delay and this includes the obligation for both parties to fully implement the past Dialogue Agreements. 

That is all. Thank you. 

Q&A 

Q. I have a question about the absence of President [of China] Xi [Jinping] and President Putin from this gathering. You were talking about the importance of this as a platform for achieving peace in Ukraine and other kinds of multilateral diplomacy. Is their absence a problem for making progress on that?  

Separately, the political season in the United States is heating up. We have an election next year. How would you assess President [Joe] Biden's leadership on the kind of multilateral issues that you deal with here at the UN General Assembly? And are you worried about the long-term American commitment to these things?  

I can assure you that we have not talked about it in the meeting. We have not gone into these US internal affairs. And about the absence of [President] Xi and [President] Putin, well, we have to continue working. We cannot sit and wait for them to come. We have an urgency. The war costs everyday lives. The sooner it finishes, the much better for the ones that could save their lives. For Ukrainians first, for the Russian soldiers also, and for the rest of the world, which is badly affected by this war. So, we will continue our work for a just peace with or without the ones that could maybe contribute to that. Certainly not Putin, but everybody that could support the peace process is very much welcome. And believe me, about the internal issues and the United States elections and the prospects for primaries and other things that affect the political parties, I cannot say anything because we have not talked about it. Thank you.  

Q. The first question is about [Black Sea] Grain Initiative. You actually announced that you will have a meeting with Antonio Guterres, and you said that you will raise this question during this meeting. And of course, for now, one of the Russian demands they [made] was some [economic] conditions and one of the ways how to actually solve the problem is probably let the Russian Bank like be taken from sanctions. And I'm just wondering, what do you think can be compromised? So, what is the level of compromise for you to lead this [Black Sea] Grain Initiative to renew? And the second question is about Ukraine, because it was announced that you will discuss this meeting in Kyiv in October with your colleagues today.  

No. 

Q: So, you did not touch on this topic at all? What is your forecast about that meeting, that could be possibly in Ukraine in October? Thank you. 

Certainly, we have been talking with the Secretary-General, who has made a remarkable job himself and Rebecca Grynspan [Secretary-General of United Nations Conference on Trade and Development] in order to cook this agreement. That worked well, and maybe because it worked well, Russia decided to stop it. And yes, Russia has been putting conditions, more or less the same that it has been putting on the table many, many times. But frankly speaking, I do not think this is a matter of these conditions about lifting some restrictions or sanctions, because our sanctions do not affect the exports of food and fertilizers. I said that 1,000 times, and it is absolutely true. So, do not look for excuses, do not look for false arguments. Russia has to allow the grain from Ukraine to be exported, has to stop destroying infrastructure. What kind of reason do they have in order to destroy the infrastructure that allow to export Ukrainian grain? There is no argument for that. I do not enter in the negotiations that the United Nations has been doing with Russia. It seems that there is not any possibility of reaching an agreement, because I strongly believe they do not want this agreement. 

Q. Italy’s Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani today underscored the need for a long-time strategy [on migration] at the EU level, but also the need for strong action and a plan from the United Nations. What is your reaction on that? What is your comment? 

Well, I only can agree. Certainly, we have a long-term strategy. We have a medium-term strategy and short-term tactics. On migration and on everything. 

On migration, I understand the big pressure that Italy is these days [experiencing]. These big numbers of arrivals to Lampedusa is a serious concern for everybody in Europe, not only for Italy. And certainly we have to continue working in order to avoid that people are pushed to the sea, risking their life, violating the borders of the European Union, and creating problems even for the countries that have to receive them. On that, we are working and we will continue working. If I can say, there is a sense of urgency, but this is a day-by-day work. Vice-President [of the European Commission, Margaritis] Schinas will travel to some African countries in order to study the possibility of these people coming back, to be returned.  

But in the end - and on that, I agree with Minister Tajani - we need a long-term strategy to control the migration through the root causes. And the root causes are the lack of development, the lack of economic perspective, [and] the demography. We have to engage more with our African partners in order to provide support to control demography, to control the economic growth and the growth of population. Population growth and economic growth, at the end, they balance each other. And this is one of the most important things for our diplomatic effort. We are doing that and we will continue doing that. 

Q. What about the stronger role of the United Nations? Deputy Prime Minister Tajani asked for a stronger role of the United Nations on the migration crisis. What do you think about it? 

Yes. Why not? 

Link to the video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-245981