BRUSSELS, December 16. /TASS/. Foreign ministers of the 27 EU countries are to gather in Brussels for their last meeting this year on Monday. Its agenda includes military assistance to Ukraine, the situation in Syria after the end of Bashar al-Assad's rule, and possible sanctions against the Georgian authorities. The meeting will be chaired by the new head of EU diplomacy, Kaja Kallas.
As an EU representative told reporters in Brussels earlier, the conflict in Ukraine and military aid to Kiev remain an absolute priority for the EU. According to the European diplomat, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga will participate in the meeting remotely and inform about the situation on the front and Kiev's needs.
New sanctions against Russia
As the EU representative said, the foreign ministers will approve the 15th package of sanctions against Russia over the conflict in Ukraine, as well as a "new blacklist" for Moscow's alleged "hybrid actions." Last week, permanent representatives of the EU countries agreed on the 15th package of sanctions, which includes measures against foreign tankers transporting Russian oil.
On November 28, the EUobserver portal reported citing a draft document, that 54 individuals and 29 entities would be blacklisted. According to the portal, the EU will also add 34 companies and 47 vessels to the "grey" list (in relation to which additional supervision is required).
Syria and the "EU presence"
EU foreign ministers will discuss the situation in Syria and the "importance of the EU presence," the European diplomat said. According to him, the EU hopes that the new Syrian authorities will decide not to keep Russian military bases in the country. When asked whether the EU intends to convey its position to the new Syrian authorities, the diplomat answered in the affirmative.
When asked whether the ministers would discuss lifting sanctions on Syria, the diplomat said that on Monday it would be too early to talk about what the EU will do with the sanctions regime.
Sanctions against Georgia
The foreign ministers will also discuss sanctions against the Georgian authorities, including the possible introduction of a visa regime for diplomats and officials of the country. But, as the EU representative said, the community is not currently considering the abolition of the visa-free regime for Georgian citizens. After the October parliamentary elections in Georgia, the EU has repeatedly questioned the results of the vote. Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said on November 28 that the ruling party had decided not to include the issue of opening EU accession talks on the agenda until the end of 2028 and to refuse all budget grants from the European Union. According to Kobakhidze, the reason for this decision was the constant blackmail from the EU on the topic of opening negotiations, demands to cancel some laws adopted by parliament, and calls to impose sanctions against the Georgian authorities. The prime minister's statement triggered protests in the following days.