On 10 October 2023, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Krišjānis Kariņš, took part in the informal video conference of the foreign affairs ministers of the European Union to exchange views on current developments in the Middle East following the violent attack by the Hamas terrorist organisation on Israel.
At the meeting, the Foreign Minister expressed solidarity with the Israeli people while emphasising the need to seek a political dialogue that would help achieve sustainable peace between the parties to the conflict.
Krišjānis Kariņš underlined the need for the Palestinian Authority to clearly distance itself from the Hamas terrorist organisation and condemn its attacks.
The Foreign Minister also expressed concern about the possible consequences of the escalation in the region. The EU must engage with its partners in the region to promote a more active involvement and greater accountability on their part in searching the ways for a dialogue, the Foreign Minister noted.
The informal video conference of EU ministers of foreign affairs took place on the initiative of the EU High Representative Josep Borrell in response to the growing crisis in Israel and the Middle East. The meeting comes in the wake of the Meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council in Oman, at which recent events in the Middle East was one of the central topics on the agenda.