Maas in Bratislava: Strengthening dialogue with the Visegrad countries, Greece and Turkey

Source: German presidency of the EU (German presidency) i, published on Thursday, October 8 2020.

The German Foreign Minister is taking part in the GLOBSEC 2020 Bratislava Forum in Slovakia today, and will also hold a bilateral meeting with the Turkish Foreign Minister to discuss the eastern Mediterranean and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

In these tension-filled weeks in Europe’s neighbourhood, direct dialogue is more important than ever. Heiko Maas, along with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, is taking part in the renowned GLOBSEC 2020 Bratislava Forum, the most important forum for foreign and security policy in central and eastern Europe.

Maas will be talking about the EU i’s global leadership role in the post-COVID-19 era. In a panel with Jean-Yves Le Drian and the foreign ministers of Slovakia, Greece and Romania, the German Foreign Minister will be discussing how the EU can strengthen its sovereignty. It is clear that the COVID-19 pandemic has further intensified the tectonic shifts in international relations as well as the competition between global and regional powers and alliances. That is why cohesion and a united stance have now become even more important for the EU.