ATHENS, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- Greek leaders and visiting Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics urged on Friday for closer dialogue between the South and North in Europe to resolve cross border issues on the basis of common values.

All those aspiring to occupy leadership positions in European Union (EU) institutions will be judged on the basis of a code of European values after the EU elections, Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos said while welcoming Rinkevics, according to a press release from the Greek Presidency.

Greece and Latvia share common views regarding the future of the European Union, the strengthening of the EU's foreign and security pillar, and the implementation of economic policies which will boost social cohesion and tackle inequalities that fuel populism, Pavlopoulos said.

On his part, Rinkevics also stressed the need for unity, solidarity and cooperation among EU member states on the basis of common principles.

Latvia demonstrated with actions solidarity in the refugee crisis, by welcoming refugees at Riga and by contributing to the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX) forces in the Mediterranean Sea, he said.

"We need to strengthen the dialogue between the South and the North on many issues," Rinkevics noted during joint statements to the press with Greek foreign minister Nikos Kotzias after their separate meeting, according to a Greek ministry press statement.

"The South and the North have common interests and we want to enhance cooperation in all fields, from security to culture," Kotzias said.