Hosting the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (PA) in Riga is an opportunity for our country to demonstrate that we are capable of successfully organising large-scale and high-level international events, points out Mr. Guntis Bērziņš, MP. He was Head of the Latvian delegation to the NATO PA in 2005, when the Saeima decided that Riga would host this meeting of parliamentarians in 2010.

Mr. Bērziņš reminisces: “It was one year after we joined NATO. The decision to hold this Session in Latvia was logical because we were among the few countries that had not yet served as hosts and had not even applied to do so. Back then we could not know how the economic situation would develop and how hard it would be to finance the hosting of the Session.” The former Head of the Latvian delegation stresses that the originally planned expenditures for the event have been cut significantly.

Mr. Bērziņš expresses the opinion: “Events on a similar scale are always organised by Latvia on a high level and leave guests with a good impression. Undoubtedly, such will be the case this time as well. One visit to Latvia is enough to ensure good memories about it. People tell their family and friends about it, and that promotes the country’s recognition and boosts tourism. What the guests see during the Session can provide a good contrast for those who have heard about Latvia only in the context of the economic crisis.”

Sessions of the NATO PA are held by all its member states in turn. Latvia is one of the few countries that have not held it yet. Lithuania hosted a NATO PA Session in 2001, and Estonia, after familiarising itself with Latvia’s experience, will host the Session in 2012.


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