05 December 2017•Update: 05 December 2017
By Sorwar Alam
ANKARA
The EU's foreign policy chief, Frederica Mogherini on Tuesday reiterated support for a two-state solution to the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
Speaking at a joint news conference following a bilateral meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Brussels, Mogherini said the EU supported "the resumption of a meaningful peace process towards a two-state solution".
"We believe that any action that would undermine these efforts must absolutely be avoided. A way must be found, through negotiations, to resolve the status of Jerusalem as the future capital of both states, so that the aspiration of both parties can be fulfilled," she said.
Her statement comes amid ongoing concerns over media reports that the U.S. administration intends to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Mogherini said the EU would discuss the issue with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the following week, and with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the beginning of next year.
Besides the Middle East peace process, the top diplomats of EU and the U.S. also discussed the Iran nuclear deal, the situation in Syria and the Western Balkans, according to Mogherini.
On the Iran nuclear deal, the top diplomat said the deal held importance for European and global security.
"Dismantling an agreement on nuclear issues that is working, as the International Energy Agency has certified nine times, would not put us in a better position to discuss all the rest, on the contrary.”
Tillerson welcomed the resolute stance of the EU against North Korea's nuclear program.
"We view that it is an important objective for all that there be a denuclearized Korean peninsula and again this economic pressure will continue until either North Korea reverses its course," he said.
Speaking about the Iranian nuclear agreement, the U.S. secretary of state said they had discussed efforts to hold Iran fully compliant with the agreement.
Tillerson has been a defender of the international community's nuclear deal with Iran -- an agreement U.S. President Donald Trump pledged to scrap on the campaign trail, and has continued to lambast after taking office.
He also accused Tehran of creating regional unrest by supporting Hezbollah in Lebanon and Houthi rebels in Yemen.
"Iran is carrying out a number of destabilizing actions in the region and we’ve seen this recently with ballistic missiles being fired from Yemen, which in our belief are sourced from Iran," Tillerson said.
