Foreign Secretary hosts high level talks in London on Hurricane Irma, North Korea and Libya
Boris Johnson will discuss the Hurricane Irma response with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and French Political Director Nicolas de Rivière.
The Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, returns from his visit to the British Overseas Territories that have been devastated by Hurricane Irma tomorrow (Thursday 14 September) and will host a meeting with international partners in London about continued co-ordination in response to the Hurricane.
The Foreign Secretary will discuss the response to Hurricane Irma with the US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and the French Political Director Nicolas de Rivière. This is Secretary Tillerson’s second visit to the UK since taking up his post, and follows his visit in May after the Manchester terror attack.
The UK has already provided a strategic airlift to support French operations on St Barts and St Martin and worked closely with the US authorities to ensure people’s safety in Florida.
The 3 countries will have a separate discussion on tackling the aggressive and illegal actions of the North Korean regime. The UK is at the heart of mobilising world opinion with the aim of achieving a diplomatic solution to the situation on the Korean peninsula. The international community adopted new measures on 11 September which put in place the most stringent UN sanctions regime placed on any nation in the 21st century.
The Foreign Secretary will also chair a meeting on Libya with the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General for Libya, Ghassan Salamé, US Secretary of State Tillerson, Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, United Arab Emirates Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr Anwar bin Mohamed Gargash and the French Political Director Nicolas de Rivière.
The Libya meeting is an opportunity to discuss how to break the political deadlock in Libya, and to build momentum in support of the efforts of the UN Secretary General and his Special Representative. Helping to bring stability to Libya is a vital part of UK efforts to tackle the threat from terrorism and the issue of illegal migration, which exist in close proximity to Europe.
Speaking ahead of the meetings the Foreign Secretary said:
I’ve seen firsthand the devastation Hurricane Irma has caused people in the Caribbean. Close coordination with our allies is vital for both the short-term and long-term recovery efforts.
Britain will continue to work closely alongside our partners to tackle the shared challenges we face worldwide.
Find out more about the government’s response to Hurricane Irma.