Mrs. Vaira Paegle, Head of the Latvian delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (PA), is gratified by the smooth proceeding of the Riga Session; she pointed out that as a result of selfless labour, the organisation of the event was of very high quality.

“With this event we have proved that even with limited resources we can manage to organise the Session on a high level. During these days, I have heard countless words of praise and appreciation from foreign delegates, embassies, and guests,” notes Mrs. Paegle, “The Bulgarian and Estonian representatives, who still face the task of hosting sessions, were eager to learn from our experience.”

During his plenary address, Mr. John Tanner, President of the NATO PA, also thanked Latvia for working hard to host this event.

Ms. Judith Garber, U.S. Ambassador to Latvia, also praised the Riga Session. In her meeting with Mr. Gundars Daudze, Chairman of the Saeima, on 8 June, Ms. Garber, on behalf of the U.S. delegation, expressed gratitude to Latvia for hosting it. “The Riga Session was organised excellently. Our delegation was very satisfied with participation in this event,” declared the Ambassador.

“The flawless proceeding of the Session strengthens the image of Latvia as a politically and economically appealing country,” wrote Mr. Aivis Ronis, Latvian Foreign Minister, in his letter to Mr. Gundars Daudze, Chairman of the Saeima. The Minister considers that Riga confirmed itself as an excellent venue for high-level international events providing a platform for in-depth discussions of issues on the international agenda.

Mr. Ojārs Kalniņš, Director of the Latvian Institute, also expressed the conviction that hosting the Session allowed us to demonstrate our ability to cope with the economic crisis and organise large-scale international events.

Efforts and creativity applied to organising the NATO PA Session have undoubtedly contributed to Latvia’s prestige in the perception of delegation members and guests alike, stresses Mr. Guntis Bērziņš, MP and former head of the Latvian delegation to the NATO PA. He was heading this delegation in 2005, when the Saeima took the decision to host this interparliamentary forum in Riga in spring 2010. “Delegation members whom I happened to meet said a lot of praising words about the high level of the event.”

The 2010 Spring Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly took place from 28 May to 1 June in Riga.

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