Federica Mogherini met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of El Salvador as well as Members of the National Council

Federica Mogherini, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, met this morning with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of El Salvador, Hugo Martínez, and Members of the National Council for Citizen Security and Coexistence.

High Representative/Vice President Mogherini and Minister Martínez exchanged views on bi-regional relations with the Latin American and Caribbean region ahead of the next CELAC-EU Summit, which El Salvador will host in October 2017 in the framework of the CELAC Pro Tempore Presidency. The European Union is a natural partner for Latin America and the Caribbean: they have strong and deep political, economic, historical and cultural links. The EU is determined not only to further strengthen the relations with CELAC, but to step up their cooperation on the world stage and in multilateral fora on global issues such as climate change, free and fair trade, security, development and innovation.

High Representative/Vice President Mogherini and Minister Martínez discussed the excellent bilateral relations between the EU and El Salvador. They also touched upon the citizen security challenges in El Salvador, as well as the initiatives promoted and implemented to address the situation. High Representative/Vice President Mogherini reiterated the European Union's support to the implementation of the national strategy "El Salvador Seguro" (A Safe Salvador), including through the recently signed EU cooperation programme worth €50 million. The programme is aimed at supporting the national plan of development, protection and social inclusion of El Salvador.