The Prime Minister welcomed Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo to Downing Street this morning.
He welcomed the close partnership and friendship between the two countries, demonstrated by their ambitious new cooperation on illegal immigration and law enforcement.
Leaders agreed that it is critical to end the cruel and dangerous human smuggling trade, which involves container trucks and small boats.
The Prime Minister welcomed the landmark new UK-Belgium Law Enforcement Cooperation Agreement, which is expected to be finalized in the coming weeks. The first-of-its-kind agreement will strengthen intelligence-sharing and surveillance capabilities, and will see British law enforcement officers sent forward to Belgium to tackle common threats, such as counter-smuggling.
The leaders also discussed the value of partnerships with third countries to find solutions to illegal migration and to address the poverty and insecurity that push people into human smugglers.
The Prime Minister updated on his recent visit to Ukraine, highlighting the recent successes of the Ukrainian military and the importance of continued military and financial assistance. The two countries agreed to continue joint action on sanctions and asset seizures to deprive Russia of resources from the war machine and ensure Ukraine’s reconstruction.
Looking at the situation in the Red Sea and the attacks carried out overnight by the UK and US, it is important that leaders take strong action to protect freedom of navigation and counter Iran’s malign activities in the region. We agreed on one thing.
The leaders also discussed broader issues, including opportunities to strengthen cooperation on energy security. Both leaders pointed to the need to further develop renewable grid interconnections between the UK and mainland Europe to meet their respective 2030 net zero targets.