Interparliamentary Committee meeting with representatives from the National Parliaments and&nbsp;Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the EC, on the conflicts in the MENA region and the refugee crisis, in the EP in Brussels. Debate with Herman SCHAPER, from The Netherlands Senate, Charles TANNOCK (ECR, UK) and Stephen GETHINS, from the UK House of Commons, Scotish National Party.

Brussels

migration and refugees in Europe (T)

MOGHERINI, Federica (IT, EC)

TANNOCK, Timothy Charles Ayrton (ECR, UK)

interparliamentary meeting

Exchange of views with Federica MOGHERINI, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the EC, on the conflicts in the MENA region and the refugee crisis: extracts from the meeting

Arrival of EU foreign policy Chief Federica Mogherini (2 shots)

SOUNDBITE (English), Federica MOGHERINI, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the EC, It would be good now that we have solved the nuclear issue with Iran, to have a format that reflects the unity of the region and the international community around the crisis in Syria, we need a similar approach, a multilateral approach with the key stakeholders around the table to try and move forward.

SOUNDBITE (English), Federica MOGHERINI, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the EC, After 5 years of war, if you think back from September to now, things are moving and are moving in the right direction. Even if we are seeing difficult setbacks on the ground, I would say even that it's exactly when you are moving in the right direction that actors that do not want that agenda to happen are trying to destabilise even more. This should not make us change the course of our policy but on the contrary insist more.

SOUNDBITE (English), Federica MOGHERINI, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the EC, You do not shift policy one week after you've taken some decisions, after 5 years of war. You stick to these commitments; you push for these commitments to be fulfilled by all actors, even if it's difficult! Even more when it's difficult. Because Europe is the voice is the voice of wisdom in this. We are the ones that have a complete interest in the war to stop and in the fight against DAESH to be priority number one; that goes hand in hand with the political transition in Damascus.

SOUNDBITE (English), Federica MOGHERINI, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the EC, (On countries in the MENA region receiving Afghan, Iraqi and other refugees) Wherever we perceive as Europeans that there is a country of origin or transit, they perceive that they are also a country of destination, which is true. So the key is to find ways, through financial support to programmes to support their integration or the economic opportunities, especially for young people, in these countries, to manage the phenomenon; which is a complex one, a global one, it's not purely and only European 'problem', but it's a global trend: there are more people on the move, and there are actually more people on the move inside Africa or inside Asia than the ones that are coming to Europe.

SOUNDBITE (English), Herman SCHAPER, from The Netherlands Senate, D66 Party, One unresolved issue at the moment is still, and perhaps will long time be, what is the role of Assad in all this. Should he perhaps be part of the transitional arrangement but then he would have to leave? The position of my Country, my Government, is that he will have to be brought to a court at a certain moment. But we realize that saying it front right away now could perhaps bring problems in the negotiations.

SOUNDBITE (English), Federica MOGHERINI, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the EC, Assad cannot be part of the future Government of his Country for clear reasons, not because the EU doesn't like him, but because in Syria we've had civil war that lasts five years, but I flag the fact that after stating this position very clearly for five years Assad is still there. So our role is not purely stating a position, our role is creating the conditions to start the process that can get to the point, that is the objective that we have.

SOUNDBITE (English), Charles TANNOCK (ECR, UK), My other big concern, I wonder if you prepared a comment on this, is the escalation of tensions between Turkey and Russia and the danger that there could be another downing of an aircraft which would suck NATO into what could become a World War.

SOUNDBITE (English), Federica MOGHERINI, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the EC, We are always referring to Syria as the proxy war among regional actors, this risks to become something bigger than this. I'm not thinking of a cold war, we risk a 'hot war', among different actors then the one we always think of. Not necessarily Russia and the United States, but Russia and Turkey could be; and as Europeans we have a clear interest in trying to contain and scale down the tensions.

SOUNDBITE, Stephen GETHINS, from the UK House of Commons, Scotish National Party, Can I also ask you to talk about the value of UK membership to the European Union? But also the value of the EU to the UK, in terms of some of the issues that you covered. I would be interested to hear your thoughts on that.

SOUNDBITE (English), Federica MOGHERINI, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the EC, The EU foreign and security policy would be different without the UK input, so to me it is vital, the input that the UK is giving to the European foreign and security policy.