Slovak FM Urges EU to Focus on Future of Syria, Not Assad

Slovakia's foreign minister said the EU should focus on resolving the Syrian crisis rather than on the future of its president.

BRUSSELS (Sputnik) — The European Union should concentrate on its role in the resolution of the Syrian crisis and the future of the county instead of spending time discussing the fate of the country’s President Bashar Assad, Slovakia’s Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak said Monday.

"I think we spent too much time speculating about Mr. Assad, and we should have been discussing much more about our own role and about the future of Syria. Mr. Assad is one single person and the country is more important," Lajcak said ahead of the EU Foreign Affairs Council.

The council is gathering the foreign affairs ministers from the EU member states in Luxembourg on Monday. The participants will discuss the external relations of the European Union and such international issues as the situation in Libya and Yemen.

Apart from that, the ministers will dwell upon the EU strategy for peace reconciliation in Syria ahead of the Brussels Conference on Supporting the future of Syria and the region which is due to take place on Tuesday and Wednesday.