The US and the EU will remain strategic partners, despite the incongruence of positions in some key issues. Thus, the Europeans do not agree with the position of the new US administration, which banned citizens of seven countries from entering the United States. In addition, the EU continues to uphold the principle of free international trade, while Washington withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership. However, as the European Commission Chief Spokesperson, Margaritis Shinas, said, "The United States is a strategic partner of the EU, because the intensity and scope of our relations in various areas are important not only for our bilateral relations, but also for global stability."