Together with my three Baltic counterparts from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, I will talk today about our wide-ranging common foreign policy agenda and the priorities of Germany’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The fact that negotiations are continuing in Brussels today is important. It shows that everyone wants to achieve a solution rather than defer the problem. However, it also shows that enormous efforts are required when working together for Europe’s recovery. The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken us all to the core. A response that has a swift impact and leaves no one in the EU behind is all the more important right now. Solidarity between all countries will pay dividends for everyone.

Europe’s message carries the most weight around the world if we all speak with one voice. This is important not only in the coronavirus crisis, but also with a view to Europe’s neighbourhood and is in our immediate strategic interests. We therefore want to talk today about the EU’s relationship with Russia and Turkey and explore how we can support the countries of the Eastern Partnership in an even more targeted manner on the path of reform.