On 13 November 2023, the European Union (EU) Foreign Affairs Council was held in Brussels, where Minister of Foreign Affairs Krišjānis Kariņš and his colleagues from the EU Member States discussed the current global issues: the situation in Israel and the Middle East region, support for Ukraine against Russian aggression, the situation in Armenia and Azerbaijan, and the EU's role in improving relations.
At the Foreign Affairs Council, the Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed the need to continue all possible support to Ukraine, calling in particular for no delay in taking the decisions needed to ensure long-term military support to Ukraine. Krišjānis Kariņš welcomed the positive assessment of Ukraine's reform performance by the European Commission. “It is now the turn of the European Council in December to support the opening of accession negotiations with Ukraine.” At the same time, Krišjānis Kariņš called for continued pressure against the aggressor state Russia and for further strengthening of the sanctions against it.
Turning to the situation in the Middle East, Krišjānis Kariņš stressed the need to prevent disproportionate civilian suffering on both sides of the conflict. The terrorist group Hamas must be actively targeted. According to the Minister, the most important at the moment is observing pauses in military operations to allow humanitarian aid to be delivered and for civilians to get out of the war zone in Gaza. “Everything possible must continue to be done to prevent a further escalation of the conflict in the region, and efforts must therefore be stepped up to ensure a lasting peace through a two-state solution,” the Minister said.
During an exchange of views on the developments in Armenia and Azerbaijan, Krišjānis Kariņš called on his colleagues to reflect on ways in which the European Union could contribute to the peace process between the two countries and prevent the situation from deteriorating. He noted that greater EU involvement in the region would contribute to reducing Russia's influence.
