News from Berlin

Steinmeier to Address the French Cabinet after Having Visited Ukraine Earlier This Week

May 14th, 2014
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News from Berlin - Today, May 14th, German foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier will attend a cabinet meeting with his French colleague, Laurent Fabius. Earlier this week he was in Ukraine, where he discussed the importance of the upcoming elections on May 25th with Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsia. He also stated that the current situation in the eastern part of the country remains perilous, but that he nonetheless respects the efforts of the interim government. He also expressed his sympathies to all who suffered from last week’s violence in Odessa, in the southern part of the country.

In Paris, Steinmeier will report on his talks in Ukraine and afterwards, he and Fabius will discuss their trip to Moldova, Georgia and Tunisia. This joint meeting with the French cabinet is part of an initiative that seeks to further strengthen the co-operation between France and Germany. This initiative was drawn up in January of this year, and adopted one month later in February at the Franco-German Council of Ministers.

After the cabinet meeting, Steinmeier will attend and deliver a speech at the Carlo Schmid Prize award ceremony at the German Ambassador’s residence. The Carlo Schmid Prize is awarded to individuals who have made a valuable contribution to preserving and developing the rule of law and European understanding. This year the prize went to Jean-Marc Ayreault, former Prime Minister of France.

News from Berlin – Berlin Global