On Sunday evening (18 March) Federal Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier will leave together with EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana and EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner for Washington, where on Monday (19 March) the EU Troika will hold talks with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
The main focus will be the EU's relations with the United States, including preparations for the EU-US Summit, which will also be held in Washington on 30 April. Other issues on the agenda will be international questions on which the EU and the United States are working closely together such as the Middle East, Iran's nuclear programme and Kosovo.
In connection with the Troika meeting a high-level corporate forum will also take place in the State Department on transatlantic cooperation in the field of energy technologies. The aim will be to explore the potential for joint research on energy. Forum participants will include German, European and American companies as well as major German and European research organizations. The forum will be opened by Minister Steinmeier and the US Secretary of State.
