Foreign Minister Riekstins to take part in General Affairs and External Relations Council meeting

On 28 January the Latvian Foreign Minister is to take part in the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) meeting in Brussels. 

In the session on foreign relations one of the main themes of discussion will be the situation in Serbia in the interim period between the first and second round of the presidential elections.

EU foreign ministers will review the situation in the Near East following the Annapolis Conference in the USA and the international donor conference in Paris, with particular attention being paid to the current situation in Gaza. In the context of regional security the situation in Lebanon will be discussed in relation to its presidential elections.

Other topics of discussion will include the situation in Kenya, where the announcement of the results of the presidential election brought about widespread unrest. It is expected that the UN special envoy, Jan Eliason, will report on the situation in Sudan.

On the agenda there is also the issue of Iran and Pakistan, where the EU expects the presidential elections to proceed in a democratic manner.

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