“The NATO Parliamentary Assembly (PA) in Riga, Latvia, which will take place from 28 May to 1 June, will seek solutions to significant future challenges and thus will confirm the crucial role of this forum in shaping the Alliance’s policies,” points out Mrs. Vaira Paegle, MP and Head of the Latvian delegation to the NATO PA.

Mrs. Paegle predicts that the discussion on drafting the Alliance's New Strategic Concept will be one of the key items on the agenda of the Riga Session. Riga is the place where Mr. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO Secretary General, will report to parliamentarians of the member states on the progress in drafting the Concept, emphasises Mrs. Paegle.

The Parliamentary Assembly submitted its opinion on NATO’s Strategic Concept to Mr. Rasmussen on 16 April. In the new strategic planning document, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation has to define its vision on new global security challenges, including cybersecurity, energy security, and combating terrorism.

The Head of the Latvian delegation to the NATO PA stresses: “NATO’s future priorities set by the Parliamentary Assembly reflect the interests of Latvia and other East European member states. We are gratified that two years of hard work will result in a document which emphasises issues important for Latvia.”

Mrs. Paegle points out that maintaining NATO’s collective security as one of the core principles of the Alliance is essential for Latvia. Mrs. Paegle notes: “Article 5 of the NATO Treaty is stressed in the document of the Parliamentary Assembly mainly thanks to efforts of Latvia and other East European member states. The collective security principle has always been at the core of the Alliance’s activity, and it should remain as such in the future.”

The NATO PA 2010 Spring Session in Riga will take place from 28 May to 1 June at the Kipsala International Exhibition Centre.

The NATO Parliamentary Assembly is a consultative interparliamentary organisation founded in 1955 which unites parliamentarians from member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. The NATO PA provides an essential link between NATO and parliaments of the NATO member states in helping to build parliamentary and public consensus in support of Alliance policies.

For more information on the NATO PA and its Riga Session, please visit the website of the NATO PA 2010 Spring Session at www.natopariga.lv and the official website of the NATO PA at www.nato-pa.int.


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