Brussels 23.03.2023 “It’s a great pleasure to welcome António Guterres to this meeting of the European Council. I would like to say that the UN and the EU share a lot. We have a lot in common. We believe in the multilateral approach. We believe in the spirit of cooperation. We believe in the UN Charter, in international law” said the president of the European Council Charles Michel, while greeting the UN Secretary General in Brussels at the Summit of the European leaders on March 23.

“Today we will address some of the challenges we are facing: the war launched by Russia against Ukraine. I commend your personal leadership, especially on the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

“We will also address climate change – we are trying to do our best. We have decided on very ambitious goals on the EU side, and we commend your personal commitment because we know how important it is. One additional word — we know that you are extremely active on opening talks for a reform of the tools we need for more development across the world. You can count on the EU on that topic as well.

(Continuation in French) “Merci António (Guterres) pour ta présence. Nous allons discuter avec les dirigeants aujourd’hui de différents sujets internationaux et nous allons continuer à coopérer très étroitement avec les Nations unies, qui jouent un rôle clé pour défendre des valeurs auxquelles nous croyons, pour la stabilité, pour la sécurité, et pour apporter de la dignité et de l’humanité dans un monde qui en a bien besoin”.

(Translation: Thank you António (Guterres) for your presence. We are going to discuss with the leaders today various international subjects and we will continue to cooperate very closely with the United Nations, which plays a key role in defending the values in which we believe, for stability, for security, and for bringing dignity and humanity in a world that needs it”) president Michel concluded.