The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Xavier Bettel, attended the 13th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Abu Dhabi from 25 to 27 February 2024.
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Group photo
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(fr. l. to r.) Franck Riester, Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade, Attractiveness, the French-speaking World and French Nationals Abroad; Xavier Bettel, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Minister for Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs; Hadja Lahbib, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Belgium.
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Xavier Bettel, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs
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Group photo
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(fr. l. to r.) Xavier Bettel, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs; Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director General WTO
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(fr. l. to r.) Xavier Bettel, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Minister for Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs; Simon Coveney, Minister for Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs; Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Ireland
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(fr. l. to r.) Xavier Bettel, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Minister for Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs; Lars LØKKE RASMUSSEN. Minister for Foreign Affairs Denmark
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(fr. l. to r.) Valdis Dombrovskis, European Commissioner for Trade; Xavier Bettel, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Minister for Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs; Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director General WTO
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(fr. l. to r.) Valdis Dombrovskis, European Commissioner for Trade; Xavier Bettel, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Minister for Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs; Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director General WTO
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(fr. l. to r.) Xavier Bettel, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Minister for Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs; Ian Borg, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Malta; Alex Sceberras TrIgona, former Minister for Foreign Affairs, Malta; former Minister for Foreign Affairs, Saudi Arabia.
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(fr. l. to r.) Manuel Tovar Rivera, Minister for Foreign Trade Costa Rica; Xavier Bettel, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Minister for Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs.
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(fr. l. to r.) Xavier Bettel, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Minister for Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs; Ian Borg, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Malta.
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(fr. l. to r.) Alex Sceberras TrIgona, former Minister for Foreign Affairs, Malta; Ian Borg, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Malta; Xavier Bettel, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Minister for Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs
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(fr. l. to r.) Xavier Bettel, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Minister for Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs; Sheikh Abdallah bin Zayed Al Nahyane, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates.
Ahead of the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference (WTC13), the European trade ministers met for a session of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in its "Trade" configuration.
The WC13 is taking place in a difficult geopolitical context, marked by the weakening of global supply chains and an upsurge in food insecurity.
In this context, Minister Bettel stressed the need to work together to strengthen the rules-based multilateral trading system.
The Minister highlighted the importance of extending the moratorium on the imposition of customs duties on electronic transmissions and of advancing work on WTO reform, including in particular the re-establishment of the Appellate Body.
Xavier Bettel also stressed the need to launch a discussion forum on the links between trade and industrial, environmental and social policies.
Luxembourg hopes that the Conference will also make it possible to conclude phase 2 of the Multilateral Fisheries Agreement aimed at eliminating subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing.
In the margins of the Ministerial Conference, Minister Bettel took part in an event in support of Ukraine and attended the celebration of the entry into force of the plurilateral agreement on domestic regulation in services.
He also took the opportunity to hold bilateral meetings with several ministers, including France's Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade, Franck Riester, and the UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdullah bin Zayed al Nahyan.
In addition to bilateral relations between Luxembourg and the United Arab Emirates, Minister Bettel and Sheikh Abdullah discussed in particular the situation in Gaza. Deploring the unacceptable number of civilian victims in Israel and Gaza and the vicious circle of violence that followed the Hamas terrorist attacks, they stressed the need for an immediate ceasefire and the release of all remaining hostages. Minister Bettel and Sheikh Abdullah also discussed the need to find a political solution to the current situation, in particular through the two-state solution, which is the only way to offer a lasting solution to this conflict. The importance of the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid was also discussed.
Press release by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade