Foreign minister Zaorálek attends special EU meeting on Iraq crisis

Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs Lubomír Zaorálek is attending an extraordinary session of Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on Friday. EU foreign ministers are meeting to discuss current situation in Iraq, Libya and Ukraine following the latest political and security developments. The ministers are also assessing current humanitarian situation in the Gaza strip. After arriving in Brussels on Friday, Mr Zaorálek told reporters that Russia could easily calm down the situation in Ukraine by ceasing the supply of soldiers and weapons to the east of the country. The meeting in Brussels follows a call by key member states to respond to Iraqi Kurd appeals for weapons in the face of a jihadist onslaught in northern Iraq. Foreign Minister Lubomír Zaorálek earlier this week announced plans to send weapons to the Kurdish forces in Iraq to assist their struggle against the jihadist group Islamic State. According to the Reuters news agency Prague could start supplying weapons to Kurds at the end of August.

Author: Ruth Fraňková