Egypt: extraordinary meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council on 21 August 2013

In the light of recent developments in Egypt, an extraordinary meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council has been convened for Wednesday 21 August. The meeting will be chaired by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton.

© Peter Hermes Furian - Fotolia

The President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy and the President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso issued a joint statement on 18 August calling for "an end to violence, resumption of political dialogue and return to a democratic process". The following day, the EU's Political and Security Committee (PSC) held an extraordinary meeting. At this meeting and against the backdrop of what the European Union Special Representative for the Southern Mediterranean region Bernardino Leon called a "strong unanimity and convergence of member states on the importance of Egypt", it was decided to call an extraordinary meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council on Wednesday 21 August.

Ministers will discuss the situation in Egypt and are expected to adopt Council conclusions. The meeting is tentatively scheduled in the early afternoon and will be followed by a press conference.