The crisis in Ukraine was high on the agenda of the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC), which was held in Brussels, yesterday (12.05); chaired by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, the Council contemplated the Middle East peace process, while, over lunch, there was an exchange of views on the EU's neighborhood policy with countries in both eastern and southern Europe. The EU-Albania Stabilization and Association Council was also held on Monday. Greek government vice-president and Foreign minister Evangelos Venizelos, who chaired the meeting, expressed the EU’s willingness to boost Albania’s efforts to achieve its future accession to the EU.

On the margins of the EU FAC, the Greek and Albanian Foreign Ministers reached an agreement on the use of toponyms in Albanian passports and credentials. "We agreed, with full respect for international law and good neighbourly relations, on the use of toponyms acceptable to both sides, as provided for by international practice" said Venizelos.

The roadmap for de-escalating violence and tension in Ukraine dominated the EU Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) meeting on Monday, which was also attended by the chairman of the OSCE, the Swiss Confederation President and Foreign Minister, Didier Burkhalter.

Government Vice-President and Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos stated that the roadmap should be protected and that "the first thing we need to do is to clarify the official Russian stance on the so-called referenda that were held yesterday."

He underlined that these referenda must not have legal recognition and that it must be ensured that eastern populations will vote in the May 25 presidential elections, noting that “a high abstention rate will create a problem of legitimization and recycle the tension.” Venizelos stressed that a statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin that troops should be withdrawn from the borderline should be implemented. He finally stated that apart from the four pillars of the Roadmap (ceasefire, de-escalation of tension, dialogue, and elections), there is also the pillar of the economy and economic stability, without which everything else is at risk.”

Furthermore, Venizelos briefed his EU counterparts on the southern Mediterranean Investment Coordination Initiative (AMICI) initiative during yesterday’s working luncheon of the EU Foreign Affairs Council. The initiative has been undertaken jointly with Italy and aims at coordinating the EU’s activities in its Southern Neighborhood related to growth, facilitating investments and job creation, through synergies between the European Union, its member states, and other public and private agencies.