Activities of Secretary-General in Belgium, 15-16 May

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres arrived in Brussels from Vienna on Tuesday afternoon, 15 May.

He met with Donald Tusk, President of the European Council.  He then met with Didier Reynders, Vice-Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Belgium.  Later that evening, the Secretary-General was hosted by Belgium’s Prime Minister, Charles Michel, for a working dinner.

Early on Wednesday morning, he started his day with a working breakfast with Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice‑President of the Commission.  The two had wide‑ranging discussions touching on a number of issues of common interest, including the broader situation in the Middle East and institutional cooperation between the United Nations and the European Union.

The Secretary-General went to the seat of the European Commission, where he had a bilateral meeting with Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, followed by a working lunch with college of European Union Commissioners.

In remarks to the press after his meeting with Mr. Juncker, the Secretary‑General appealed for the European Union to make its voice more heard in international relations as a central pillar of today’s world.  He said that the United Nations supports the efforts being made by the European Union to rescue the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and its activities to move the world forward on sustainable development and climate action, among other things.

The Secretary-General then departed Brussels for Washington, D.C.