Luxembourg’s foreign policy was thrust into the spotlight on Wednesday as members of parliament, particularly from the opposition, reacted to Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel recent speech on Luxembourg's foreign policy.

LSAP speaker Yves Cruchten accused the Foreign Minister of a lack of coherence, contrasting the current foreign policy with the clarity and consistency of the past twenty years. In particular, Cruchten critiqued the Foreign Minister for sending mixed signals on topics such as Palestinian statehood and the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement.

"On September 7, our Prime Minister signed a joint letter with other EU member states to finalise the (Mercosur) negotiations. I quote from the letter: 'It is now urgent to secure the progress reached so far and close the negotiations. We believe that all elements are in place to allow for a rapid conclusion of negotiations by the end of 2024.' However, our Foreign Minister told us yesterday: 'Luxembourg cannot agree to this accord in its current form.' So, what is it now? Whatever the case may be, we are certainly looking forward to discussing this with the government in committee."

MP David Wagner of Déi Lénk echoed his party's long-standing criticism of the EU-Mercosur trade deal, describing it as an environmental and agricultural disaster. Wagner expressed hope that the government might revise its position on the agreement between the EU and the South American trade bloc.

Sam Tanson, head of the Greens parliamentary group, criticised what she called a 'dialogue des sourds' (dialogue of the deaf) within the government, highlighting discrepancies between the positions of Prime Minister Luc Frieden and Foreign Minister Bettel.

"This vagueness is probably one of the reasons why, as a government, you repeated only well-known, old positions yesterday, with one singular exception, instead of responding strongly to the enormous challenges we are facing, that you, yourself, have recognised," Tanson remarked.

Meanwhile, ADR's Fred Keup bluntly described Bettel’s speech as 'boring', though he welcomed its calm tone amidst international tensions. ADR reminded the parliament of their position regarding the war in Ukraine, explaining that the conflict can ultimately only be resolved through negotiation and Ukraine will likely have to temporarily concede territories that are under Russian control.

"And you will see, that in the end this won't be a decision that is in our hands, it will be decided on another level. At first, it will be between Ukraine and Russia, and then it will be between Ukraine's main partner, the US. This is what will happen. Whether you like it or not, whether I like it or not, this is how things go. This is the reality."

Pirates MP Sven Clement delivered a facetious critique of the Foreign Minister’s “round-the-world trip,” emphasising the need for Europe to do better, progress economically and be more autonomous by expanding and strengthening its network of foreign representations abroad.