The situation in the Middle East and its consequences were the main topic for EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday.
Luxembourg Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel said he was concerned about the international situation, noting that tensions had yet to deescalate. He made the remarks upon his arrival in the Belgian capital on Monday.
Responding to a warning by US President Donald Trump that NATO must support the US in securing the Strait of Hormuz and oil transport routes, Bettel said: “I don’t think that Donald Trump wants to be NATO’s undertaker. And he should not forget that we place a lot of orders with him. Europe is far behind [when it comes to defence matters] and we are his best customer. It is in the interest of the US to keep NATO going and not to bury it.”
EU energy ministers are also meeting in Brussels on Monday as part of the Energy Council, where rising prices linked to the war in Iran are being discussed.
RTL spoke with German economy minister Katherina Reiche, who also highlighted the importance of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most important routes for global oil transport.
She noted that Europe had no shortage of physical imports and imported relatively little oil from the Gulf states, adding that the continent does not import any LNG from the region. However, she said other regions did rely on those supplies, which was contributing to the current price surges. She warned that if the war continued, it could disrupt the global economy and stressed that this was something Europe could not afford.
Economy and Energy Minister Lex Delles will represent Luxembourg at the meeting.
