The EP's foreign affairs committee has called on the Muslim Brotherhood to return to the negotiation table and give up violence. The committee held a special meeting on 28 August, during which members debated how to get the troubled country back on the track to democracy. They also insisted on better protection for Christian Copts after 40 of their churches were burnt by Islamic fundamentalists.

Negotiations will still be needed to find a permanent solution for Syria despite any military action that might be taken, warned Elmar Brok, the chair of the EP's foreign affairs committee. On behalf of the committee, he also condemned the use of chemical weapons in the war-torn country and criticised China and Russia for not doing more to help find a peaceful solution.

"Recent developments in Egypt, and more particularly the violence of the last days, are extremely worrying. We are distressed at the loss of lives and we offer our sincere condolences to the families of the victims.

Egypt is a key partner of the European Union. We share interests in and responsibility for the maintenance of peace and stability in a strategic region. Further escalation must be prevented. It could have unpredictable consequences for Egypt and for its broader neighbourhood.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius expresses extreme concern over Wednesdy’s unrest in Egypt that claimed many lives and deplores the use of violence. The Foreign Minister once again urges all sides of the conflict to refrain from violence and to launch reconciliation process.

On 22 July in Brussels, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius will attend the Foreign Affairs Council meeting, which will focus on the Eastern Partnership.