Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins to go on working visit to Sweden [09 Jun 2009]

On 10-11 June, Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins will go on a working visit to Stockholm, in response to an invitation by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden, Carl Bildt. The visit is organized as part of the preparations for the Swedish Presidency of the EU. During the visit, foreign ministers of a number of EU states will discuss the priorities in the field of foreign affairs proposed by Sweden for its forthcoming Presidency; the priorities will be presented to his counterparts by the Swedish Foreign Minister.

The agenda of the Swedish Presidency will include issues related to the coming into effect of the Lisbon Treaty and, depending on the results of a repeated referendum in Ireland, also to the implementation of the Treaty. Work will continue in connection with the EU enlargement process. Further development of the Eastern Partnership will be important when carrying out concrete projects with the EU Member States. It is expected that the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region will also be approved.

The strengthening of relations with the EU's co-operation partners, including the U.S., China and Russia, is to remain high on the agenda, in order to seek joint solutions to challenges such as climate change and to co-operate on regional issues (Afghanistan, Pakistan, Middle East, Iran, North Korea).

Sweden's Presidency of the European Union starts on July 1, by taking over from the current presiding state, the Czech Republic.

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