A week before the planned Riga Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (PA) the Saeima is busy in preparing for it.

During the Session, PA members will work in several committees for which altogether 1,700 copies of documents will be needed. Documents submitted for consideration by the committees are drafted in English and French. Copying of documents at the Saeima began a week and a half ago, and so far 60,000 pages have been copied.

The NATO PA will start next Friday, on 28 May, and will last until 1 June.


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On Sunday, 23 May, the winners of the Saeima-organised photo contest My Secure Latvia will have a chance to sail on the warship of the Latvian Naval Forces in the Bay of Riga.

Ten photographers will be invited to sail on the staff and logistics ship Varonis. Among the contest winners are schoolchildren not only from Riga and Jūrmala but also from Rēzekne, Talsi, Aknīste, Dagda, Zilupe, Dundaga, and Limbaži.  

The awards ceremony will take place on board the ship. The crew will give the students a tour of the ship, tell them about its functions, and describe the life and duties of the warship crew.

This contest has been organised by the Saeima Defence, Internal Affairs and Corruption Prevention Committee, which is preparing for the Spring Session of the NATO PA 2010 to be held in Riga. Students submitted their digital photos showing how they perceive the security of their family, friends, school, and the entire country. Along with the photo, they included a short description of their idea.

Today, 20 May, the last training seminar is held for volunteers who have applied to help the NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s Riga Session to proceed flawlessly.

During the fourth and last training seminar the volunteers will receive the latest information about the NATO PA Riga Session events. The volunteers will be acquainted with their work place and schedule, working hours, protocol during the NATO PA Session, and security issues. Other organisational matters will also be discussed.

Before the start of the NATO PA Session at the end of May, four training seminars have been planned in order to give the volunteers a thorough understanding of the programme of the NATO PA Session and of their job responsibilities.

On Tuesday, 18 May, the Chairman of the Saeima, Gundars Daudze, met with H.E. Mr. Andrew Soper, the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Latvia of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as he paid his accreditation visit to the Saeima. During the meeting, the dignitaries discussed issues such as mutual contacts of both countries, NATO cooperation and preparations for the NATO PA Spring Session, which will take place from 28 May to 1 June in Riga.

During the meeting, Ambassador Soper confirmed the participation of the U.K. parliamentary delegation in the Riga Session. The Chairman of the Saeima, in turn, informed the Ambassador that Latvia will do everything to make sure that the Session proceeds flawlessly and that our country’s guests will have an opportunity to learn more about Latvia’s culture and history.