Peace in Northern Ireland to inspire high-level summit on Western Balkans
Foreign Secretary David Lammy will host 15 European ministers at Hillsborough Castle for talks as the region faces growing threats from instability, corruption and criminal gangs which also compromise UK security.
The local legacy of peace-building will be drawn on to champion diplomacy and reconciliation among Western Balkans countries.
The castle previously played host to vital moments in UK and Irish politics, including intense negotiations which salvaged peace talks from the brink of collapse, forging the way for the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement in 1998.
Mr Lammy said Hillsborough Castle was a poignant reminder of the power of diplomacy to transform conflict and division into long-term peace and co-operation.
'By harnessing Northern Ireland's experience, we hope to support partners in the Western Balkans to overcome the challenges of the past through meaningful reconciliation and help build a safe and prosperous future,' he said.
'As part of the plan for change, this Government is committed to strengthening partnerships with Europe, ensuring strong foundations of economic stability, secure borders and national security.'
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Hilary Benn said the region was a legacy of hope.
'Northern Ireland's experience of securing peace through the Good Friday Agreement after decades of conflict has set a powerful example of reconciliation to the world,' he said.
'This provides a legacy of hope as well as practical experience which I believe will prove invaluable to our Western Balkans partners as they travel a similar path to peace and prosperity.
'As a long-standing forum for peace-building and politics, it is fitting that Hillsborough Castle has been chosen to host this significant international event.'
Laura McCorry, head of Hillsborough Castle, added: 'For centuries, Hillsborough Castle has been a place where people come together to shape a shared future.
'The castle stands as a living testament to the power of dialogue and reconciliation in a place where peace has been hard won.
'We hope it will provide an inspiring setting for the meeting and look forward to hosting the ministers this autumn.'
The summit will take place while the UK continues a role in security in Kosovo where it has maintained a presence through Nato's KFOR mission since 1999.
Since the election last year, the UK has stepped up engagement with Western Balkans countries to deliver on the plan for change, including breaking people smuggling networks exploiting the region as a gateway to Europe.
According to the Government, during 2024 alone, more than 55,000 people were trafficked to other countries along routes through the Western Balkans.
A joint agreement on organised immigration crime was signed with Serbia during Mr Lammy's visit to the region in April, when he also visited Kosovo.
The Foreign Secretary also visited Bosnia and Herzegovina in May amid political instability in the country, part of the UK's increased activity and engagement in the Western Balkans.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
9 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Israel's Netanyahu condemned over Gaza City plan - 'action will only bring more bloodshed'
Keir Starmer hit back at Israel's major escalation plan in the devastating conflict as 'wrong' and urged the Israeli government to 'reconsider immediately' in a statement Keir Starmer has condemned Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's plans to occupy Gaza City, warning it will only "bring more bloodshed". The Prime Minister hit back at the major escalation in the devastating conflict as "wrong" and urged the Israeli government to "reconsider immediately". On Thursday Netanyahu's war cabinet approved the decision to intensify its offensive in the 22 month-long conflict that has already claimed the lives of over 60,000 people in Gaza. The move has provoked international condemnation, with Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz halting arms exports to Israel that could be used in the Strip. And it has prompted even bigger fears over the remaining 20 living hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7, 2023, and hanging onto life in Gaza's tunnels. It comes after Israel's Netanyahu 'completely lost it' with angry response to Mr Starmer. In a statement on Friday, Mr Starmer said: 'The Israeli Government's decision to further escalate its offensive in Gaza is wrong, and we urge it to reconsider immediately. This action will do nothing to bring an end to this conflict or to help secure the release of the hostages. It will only bring more bloodshed." He added: 'Every day the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens and hostages taken by Hamas are being held in appalling and inhuman conditions. What we need is a ceasefire, a surge in humanitarian aid, the release of all hostages by Hamas and a negotiated solution. Hamas can play no part in the future of Gaza and must leave as well as disarm. " Mr Starmer, who has said the UK will recognise the state of Palestine in September if Israel does not agree to a ceasefire, said he was working with allies to secure peace in the region. But he warned: "Without both sides engaging in good faith in negotiations, that prospect is vanishing before our eyes. Our message is clear: a diplomatic solution is possible, but both parties must step away from the path of destruction.' Gaza's hospitals on Friday recorded four new deaths 'due to famine and malnutrition over the past 24 hours', according to the enclave's Health Ministry. The horror figures raised the total number of hunger-related deaths to 197, including 96 children. The head of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) says 12,000 children in Gaza are experiencing 'acute malnutrition.' Israel's war has killed at least 61,258 people and wounded 152,045. As many as 1,200 people were killed in Israel during the October 7, 2023, attacks, and 250 were taken captive. Just 20 of the remaining 50 hostages held in Gaza are believed to be alive. Germany's Mr Merz said: 'The even harsher military action by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip, approved by the Israeli Cabinet last night, makes it increasingly difficult for the German government to see how these goals will be achieved. Under these circumstances, the German government will not authorize any exports of military equipment that could be used in the Gaza Strip until further notice.' Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, also warned further escalation 'will result in more massive forced displacement, more killing, more unbearable suffering, senseless destruction and atrocity crimes'. Foreign Secretary David Lammy also said the situation in Gaza was of "great concern" as he met with the US Vice President at his official country residence Chevening House, in Kent. He said he would discussing the "developing situation" with JD Vance. He told reporters: "Of course we will be discussing the developing situation in Gaza, which is a great concern, and of course the ongoing war in Ukraine, and the desire to see that come to an end." The Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey also responded, saying: "Netanyahu's plans to occupy the whole of Gaza are utterly abhorrent - and it's increasingly clear that his goal is ethnic cleansing." He also urged the PM "to stop the export of all UK arms to Israel - today - and sanction Netanyahu and his cabinet." The SNP's Westminster Stephen Flynn also called for Parliament to be recalled for the summer holidays and immediately recognise Palestine "before it is brutally wiped off the map".
Reuters
13 minutes ago
- Reuters
Wall Street mixed as oil prices decline for 6th session
NEW YORK/LONDON, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Major Wall Street indexes were mixed on Thursday, with the Dow and S&P 500 ending lower, as European stocks closed at a one-week high on strong financial stocks and hopes of a Ukraine ceasefire. U.S. President Donald Trump tapped Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Stephen Miran to serve as a Federal Reserve governor. Oil prices ended down for a sixth straight session after the Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin would meet with Trump, who is seeking a breakthrough to end the Ukraine war. Prices of gold, seen as a safe haven in volatile times, extended gains to a two-week high. U.S. Treasury yields were modestly higher following a soft auction of 30-year bonds, the latest in a string of sales showing lackluster demand. MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe (.MIWD00000PUS), opens new tab rose 3.03 points, or 0.32%, to 936.26. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI), opens new tab fell 0.51% to 43,968.64 and the S&P 500 (.SPX), opens new tab declined 0.08% to 6,340.00 as shares of Eli Lilly (LLY.N), opens new tab dropped after data from its oral weight loss drug disappointed. The Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC), opens new tab gained 0.35% to 21,242.70. "(There) are persistent risks to the downside. Downside surprises in official data are increasing," analyst Kyle Rodda wrote in a note. "Valuations are also stretched, with forward price to earnings hovering around the highest in four years. And trade uncertainty persists." Earlier, shares were under pressure from a report that Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller was Trump's top candidate to become the central bank chair, raising concerns over the Fed's independence. Higher U.S. tariffs on imports from dozens of countries kicked in on Thursday, raising the average U.S. import duty to the highest in a century. European shares logged their biggest daily rise in over two weeks on Thursday, boosted by financial stocks as investors weighed mixed corporate earnings and U.S. tariffs. The pan-European STOXX 600 index (.STOXX), opens new tab closed at a one-week high. Plans for a meeting between Trump and Putin over the war in Ukraine also helped sentiment in European equities and underpinned the euro. A ceasefire "would be an extra positive," said Emmanuel Cau, Barclays head of European equity strategy. The Bank of England cut interest rates, but four of its nine policymakers, worried about inflation, voted to keep rates unchanged. The split vote suggested the BoE's run of rate cuts might be nearing an end. Sterling strengthened 0.67% to $1.3444. "The vote split is clearly a lot more hawkish than I was expecting," said Dominic Bunning, head of G10 FX strategy at Nomura. Japanese shares earlier hit a record high. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS), opens new tab closed up 1.03%, as Japan's Nikkei (.N225), opens new tab gained 0.65%. Taiwan's stock benchmark (.TWII), opens new tab jumped as much as 2.6% to a more than one-year peak. Shares in chipmaker TSMC ( opens new tab, which this year announced additional investment in its U.S. production facilities and so is expected to be relatively unscathed by the U.S. tariff on imported chips, soared to a record high. The dollar index , which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies, fell 0.14%, with the euro up 0.07% at $1.1667. The yield on benchmark U.S. 10-year notes rose 1 basis points to 4.242%, and the 30-year bond yield advanced 1.1 basis points to 4.8221%. In commodities, spot gold rose 0.93% to $3,399.67 an ounce and touched its highest since July 23. U.S. gold futures settled 0.6% higher at $3,453.70 an ounce. Global oil prices wiped out earlier gains, with both benchmarks touching eight-week lows after Trump's comments on progress in talks with Moscow. Brent crude futures settled down 46 cents, or 0.7%, at $66.43 a barrel. U.S. crude futures fell 47 cents, or 0.7%, to $63.88.
South Wales Argus
29 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
Vance: UK and US have ‘disagreements' over Gaza but share common goal
Appearing alongside the Foreign Secretary on Friday, the vice-president confirmed Washington had 'no plans' to recognise Palestine – which Britain has pledged to do unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire. Mr Vance, who has previously accused the UK of retreating from democratic values, struck a more positive chord as he spoke of his 'love' for the country during a visit to Chevening, Mr Lammy's grace-and-favour retreat in Kent. David Lammy welcomed JD Vance to Chevening House (PA) He heaped praise on his 'good friend' the Foreign Secretary, and said Britain and the US should work together to 'bring greater peace' to the world as the two countries 'have a lot in common'. However, he made clear that there were differences of opinion between the two administrations on how to address the war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Asked by reporters at the top of a bilateral meeting with Mr Lammy what he thought of the UK's plans to recognise Palestine, Mr Vance said: 'Obviously, the United Kingdom is going to make its decision. 'We have no plans to recognise a Palestinian state. I don't know what it would mean to really recognise a Palestinian state given the lack of functional government there.' Mr Vance said there may be 'disagreements' between the two administrations over Gaza (Suzanne Plunkett/PA) He said both sides wanted to 'solve that problem' of the crisis in Gaza, but 'may have some disagreements about how exactly to accomplish that goal, and we'll talk about that today'. 'There's a lot of common objectives here. There is some, I think, disagreement about how exactly to accomplish those common objectives, but look, it's a tough situation,' he said. 'Of course, we're not going to know exactly how to solve a very complicated problem.' Despite coming from differing political backgrounds, Mr Vance and Mr Lammy are said to have developed a personal rapport, bonding over their difficult childhoods and Christian faith. Mr Vance visited Chevening while on holiday in the Cotswolds with his family, who joined him and the Foreign Secretary to go carp fishing at the countryside estate on Friday. The two men went carp fishing at Chevening on Friday (Suzanne Plunkett/PA) 'Unfortunately, the one strain on the special relationship is that all of my kids caught fish, but the Foreign Secretary did not,' the vice-president said. 'It is great to be here… my wife and I love this section, this area of the UK and we were actually here a couple of years ago… so we love this country. 'Just on a personal note, I have to say that I really have become a good friend, and David has become a good friend of mine, and so it's great to spend some time here with him… you've been a very, very gracious host to me and the whole family.' Asked about the criticism he has previously directed at the UK over issues like freedom of speech, he claimed his concerns related more widely to 'the entire collective West'. In February, Mr Vance claimed that a 'backslide away from conscience rights has placed the basic liberties of religious Britons' under threat, and attacked the use of laws to enforce buffer zones around abortion clinics. More recently, the vice-president has appeared to take aim at Britain's international standing as well as its home affairs. A real pleasure to welcome my friend @JDVance and his family to Chevening. Before beginning our bilateral, the Vice President gave me fishing tips, Kentucky style. The special relationship makes the UK and the US stronger, safer and better off. — David Lammy (@DavidLammy) August 8, 2025 As the UK and France led European efforts to secure a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia, he questioned the level of security that could be offered by 'some random country that hasn't fought a war in 30 or 40 years'. He later denied the comments had related to either the UK or France following a backlash from British politicians and ex-soldiers. Speaking on Friday, Mr Vance said: 'I've raised concerns about free speech in the United States of America. 'I think the entire collective West, the transatlantic relationship, our Nato allies, certainly the United States under the Biden administration, got a little too comfortable with censoring rather than engaging with a diverse array of opinions. 'So that's been my view. Obviously, I've raised some criticism and concerns about our friends on this side of the Atlantic, but the thing that I say to the people of England, or anybody else, to David, is many of the things that I worry most about were happening in the United States from 2020 to 2024. 'I just don't want other countries to follow us down what I think is a very dark path under the Biden administration.' Mr Lammy said 'commonalities and differences' in political debate were part of the 'joy of living in a democracy like ours'. 'But, you know, there are areas where there are actually joint concern, we both have a joint concern about outcomes for working people, that is the truth of it,' he said. 'And we have also discussed issues like irregular and illegal migration and how we deal with those issues. 'So there are commonalities and there are differences and that is the joy of living in democracies like ours.' Earlier on Friday, Sir Keir Starmer said Israel was 'wrong' to approve plans to occupy Gaza City and urged the country's government to reconsider its new offensive to stop 'more bloodshed'. The Prime Minister's intervention came after his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu met his war cabinet and approved plans for a major escalation in the conflict early on Friday. Sir Keir has pledged to recognise a Palestinian state by September unless Israel meets a series of conditions towards ending the war in Gaza. He has also urged Hamas to disarm, release its remaining Israeli hostages, and accept it will have no part in the future governance of Gaza.
