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UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy is to meet the EU's foreign ministers to discuss the security challenges facing Europe, including the Middle East and Iran.
Mr Lammy has been invited to take seat at the table of the Foreign Affairs Council, with all 27 EU foreign ministers, when it meets in Luxembourg on Monday. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office says the UK’s attendance at the meeting will be part of more regular engagement.
The meeting will discuss how the UK and the EU can work together to deal with the escalating crisis in the Middle East, including the continuing threat posed by Iran, the UK office added. The discussions will also include meeting the challenge of Russian aggression and interference across the continent.
Mr Lammy has been invited by EU foreign affairs minister Josep Borrell and said before the meeting that “UK security is indivisible from European security”.
“This government is determined to reset our relationships and deepen ties with our European partners in order to make us all safer,” Mr Lammy added. “This visit is an opportunity for the UK to be back at the table, discussing the most pressing global issues with our closest neighbours and tackle the seismic challenges we all face.”
Plans for closer working between the EU and the UK international and security matters will to be set out after discussions with Mr Borrell, the ministry said.
Mr Lammy last week visited Bahrain and Jordan, where he pushed calls for de-escalation in the Gaza war, with the conflict also spreading to Lebanon. His trip to meet EU ministers comes amid growing frustration at the Labour government’s foreign policy in the Middle East, which critics in the UK say is a middle ground that satisfies no one.
Some fear the government has been cornered into making decisions driven by legal technicalities rather than political views.