Visit of Phil Gordon
On Thursday, 8 July, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Steven Vanackere, held a meeting with the US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Phil Gordon, in Brussels. Phil Gordon had already had a meeting with Minister Vanackere in March.
This meeting at the beginning of the Belgian Presidency of the EU provided Minister Vanackere with the opportunity to discuss with Mr Gordon a number of matters that are of importance for the EU and Belgium, such as the question of Iran.
There was also discussion with Mr Gordon of the situation in Afghanistan and preparations for the NATO summit in Lisbon in the autumn were examined in greater depth. The Assistant Secretary of State also put a number of questions to Minister Vanackere about the Belgian Presidency of the EU and Belgian expectations in this regard in the coming months. Finally, they both expressed their pleasure at the agreement reached in the European Parliament in relation to SWIFT.
