BRUSSELS: European Union foreign ministers will discuss the fight against terrorism at talks in Brussels on Monday after the deadly Bastille Day lorry attack in Nice, the EU said.
“Upon request of France, EU ministers to add fight against terrorism on their agenda on Monday,” the European Council of leaders from the 28 EU countries said on Friday.
France’s embassy to the EU confirmed on Twitter that it had made the request.
The EU is increasingly worried about the threat posed by the Daesh terror group in Syria and Iraq.
The talks will also be the first in Brussels for new British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who supported Britain leaving the EU in a referendum last month.
Meanwhile, the UN tourism chief has urged holiday makers to express solidarity with France by visiting the country to defy “terrorists” after the attack.
The World Tourism Organization’s Secretary-General Taleb Refai made the call after the deadly assault.
“This is the time to go visit France,” Refai told reporters in Sri Lanka after attending a tourism conference in the island’s former war zone of Passikudah.
He described Thursday’s outrage as a “global disease” and said there was no place on earth that was immune from attack.
“This is something that we need to keep vigilant about. It is not the time to shun people. We cannot punish the victims and reward the aggressors by not traveling to places affected, because that is exactly what these terrorists want us to do,” he said.
Despite a string of violent incidents against tourists in Turkey, Bangladesh, France, Belgium and Egypt, he said tourism was expected to grow globally by over 4.5 percent this year.
He said attacks may affect a particular destination in the short term, but it would bounce back in the medium to long term.
EU foreign ministers to discuss terrorism after Nice attack
EU foreign ministers to discuss terrorism after Nice attack
