Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides is travelling to Brussels to participate in the Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union, which takes place on Monday.

During the Council, the foreign ministers will hold the first exchange of views, by video conference, with the new US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on international and regional issues related to transatlantic relations.

The ministers will be briefed by the EU High Representative Josep Borrell, on the situation in Iran and Belarus, among other issues and will exchange views on Myanmar and Ethiopia.

They will also discuss EU-Russia relations, as well as the situation in Hong Kong, in light of the latest developments.

The Council will assess the implementation of the Compass Strategy, which is an ongoing EU initiative aimed at mapping threats and setting a common direction for the EU in the fields of security and defence.

On the sidelines of the Council, Christodoulides will meet with his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, with whom he is set to discuss bilateral and European issues of common interest.