The EU Council met on its Foreign Affairs and Defence version on 11 and 12 November. The EU Foreign Ministers discussed several issues on the international agenda and agreed a framework for sanctions on Turkey in response to its illegal drilling activities in the Eastern Mediterranean. The Council also recalled their commitment to halt arms exports to Turkey and discussed the ongoing situation in Syria as well as in Lebanon, expressing their expectations that a new government will be formed swiftly. With regards to the increasing tension in the Gulf, the EU Ministers reflected on how the EU could support and encourage further de-escalation. Besides, they deplored the recent movements of Iran resuming nuclear activities and called on it “to return to full compliance with the agreement”. The EU Foreign Ministers also had an exchange of views with the Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, to whom they reaffirmed the EU’s support to the civilian transitional government and their readiness to provide financial aid. In the field of defence, the ministers discussed the state of play of EU-NATO cooperation, launched thirteen new PESCO projects and highlighted the importance of EU CDSP missions, including in the Sahel and maritime missions.