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.

In order to guarantee security and public order during the NATO PA Spring Session, a number of security measures will be taken, including more stringent checks at border crossing points, traffic restrictions and special security measures at the venue of the Session. When reporting about these measures, Jānis Sārts, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Defence, emphasised that these restrictions and possible inconveniences will affect the inhabitants only minimally.   

The NATO PA Spring Session will take place from 28 May to 1 June in Riga. In accordance with international practice and in order to ensure maximum security during the PA Spring Session, checks at  border crossing points on internal borders of the Republic of Latvia the  will be renewed  from 9:00 a.m.  on 24 May till 18:00 p.m. on 1 June.

“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.

On Monday, 17 May, at 11:00, at the premises of the Ministry of the Interior, a press conference will be held during which representatives of the mass media will be informed about increased border control measures, traffic restrictions and security measures during the NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s Spring Session.

From 28 May until 1 June 2010, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s Spring Session will be held in Riga. During the Session, approximately 700 foreign guests will visit Latvia (more detailed information can be found on the website http://www.natopariga.lv). In accordance with international practice, in order to ensure maximum security during the PA’s Spring Session, internal border checks will be reinstated in the Republic of Latvia as of 24 May 2010 (9:00) until 1 June 2010 (18:00).