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Federica Mogherini and Edgars Rinkevics. Photo: flickr.com

Mogherini told members of the press that only with common efforts and policies can these important matters be solved.

She also emphasized that the parliaments of member states and their societies must also become more involved.

Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics (Unity) expressed a similar point of view yesterday.

He said that the EU needs to assess the risks faced by all the regions – immigration, terrorism, instability in North Africa and Middle East, and unprecedented violations of human rights in Eastern Ukraine and Russia's aggression in the eastern regions of Ukraine.

"All of that has changed the situation in Europe greatly. We need to act as one and be united in looking for solutions. The EU has been able to keep its unity, but at the same time we have problems to be tackled in the south," said Rinkevics, admitting also that EU member states were not unanimous on some of these matters.

As reported, the high-level Interparliamentary Conference for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Common Security and Defense Policy held in Riga on March 5 and 6 is one of the six interparliamentary events organized by the Saeima within the framework of the parliamentary dimension of the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the EU.

Over 300 EU parliament members and officials, top NATO officials, as well as international experts are attending the conference.