High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell is visiting Brazil on 21-22 February to participate in the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, organised by the Brazilian Presidency. This visit provides an opportunity to reconfirm the EU’s solid partnership with the G20 members.
During the meeting, High Representative Borrell and the Foreign Ministers of the G20 members will hold in-depth discussions on some topical foreign policy issues – notably on the G20’s role in dealing with the ongoing international tensions, and on the reform of global governance.
During his visit, the High Representative will also hold a series of bilateral meetings, including with Argentinian Foreign Minister Diana Elena Mondino, and South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor, among others.
“The Brazilian government’s defense of peace fits all current conflicts,” said Ambassador Mauricio Lyrio during a press conference held one day before the beginning of the meeting of chancellors from the G20 countries in Rio de Janeiro. “The high number of wars in the world is a full proof of the need for a global governance reform,” he highlighted.
While reiterating the importance of the meeting with chancellors from the G20 countries, which will begin this Wednesday (21) in Rio de Janeiro, the Brazilian sherpa, Ambassador Mauricio Lyrio, declared that it is the role of Foreign Affairs ministers to assess the international situation and to discuss geopolitical themes.
“The proliferation of conflicts is a very acute concern,” highlighted Lyrio. He said that when we consider the countries’ internal conflicts, those of regional proportion and those of international repercussion, we currently live at the same level as the times of the Cold War.
“All of this is generating an absurd humanitarian crisis. We need a global governance that prevents conflicts from occurring,” stated the sherpa, reinforcing the leading role of the United Nations (UN) in peacekeeping and defending the need for effective reform of the global governance institutions.
He announced the likelihood of a second edition of the meeting of ministers of Foreign Affairs of the G20 to be unprecedently held parallel to the UN General Assembly in September. The Brazilian Presidency intends to include all the countries participating in the assembly in the G20 meeting to increasingly amplify the discussions about the issue. “We hope that, until then, this debate can be more mature and that we can advance decisively on this issue,” he said.
