Athens, Riga call for closer EU cooperation

During a visit to Athens on Friday Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics and Greek leaders called for closer dialogue between the South and North of Europe to resolve cross-border issues on the basis of common values.

While welcoming Rinkevics, Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos said that all those aspiring to occupy leadership positions in European Union institutions would be judged on the basis of a code of European values after the EU elections, according to a press release from the Greek Presidency.

Pavlopoulos added that Greece and Latvia share common views regarding the future of the European Union, the strengthening of the EU’s foreign and security policies, and the implementation of economic policies which will boost social cohesion and tackle inequalities that fuel populism.

For his part, Rinkevics also stressed the need for unity, solidarity and cooperation among EU member-states on the basis of common principles.

“We need to strengthen the dialogue between the South and the North on many issues,” Rinkevics noted during joint statements to the press with Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias after their separate meeting.

[Xinhua]