欧盟部长关注土耳其的危机与恐怖主义

Turkey and terrorism - both subjects were high on the agenda of Monday's meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels. The event also saw Boris Johnson make his debut as the UK's new foreign minister.

An early morning start for the EU foreign ministers and major issues dominated discussions straight away. They called on Turkey to uphold rule of law following the attempted coup there this weekend and insisted suggestions about a reintroduction of the death penalty would not be accepted by Europe.

"This is no excuse to take the country away from fundamental rights and rule of law and we will be extremely vigilant on that for the sake, not of the European Union or negotiations, but for the sake of Turkey itself and for the sake of Turkish people," said EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini.

Attending the meetings, US Secretary of state John Kerry also insisted Turkey would have to provide evidence through formal channels if it wants the US to extradite the man publicly blamed for sparking the coup attempt - the Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, currently living in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.

"We have received no request for extradition specifically, though President Erdogan obviously in his public comments the other day called on the United States to return him to Turkey," said US Secretary of State John Kerry.

The EU ministers also talked about counterterror measures -- after holding a moment of silence in memory of those who died in Thursday's attack in Nice, France.

After leading the charge for the UK to leave the European Union, Boris Johnson, on his first visit to Brussels as UK foreign minister, insisted his country would continue to cooperate fully with the

There was also time among the EU ministers to discuss relations with China. Beijing and Brussels are at loggerheads over Chinese steel exports. One proposal would see trade tariffs for China reduced while giving the country market economy status in the EU. It's an issue likely to dominate talks here towards the end of the year.