Latvia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs outlined his country’s vision of NATO’s new Strategic Concept in his presentation to delegates of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly to Riga on Saturday (29 May). 
“We meet in a year when Allies are contemplating a future vision of NATO for the next decade,” Aivis Ronis told the Assembly’s Political Committee, referring to the new text currently being discussed at NATO headquarters in Brussels. 
Ronis, who was one of the group of 12 experts commissioned by NATO to put forward proposals for the new text, said he agreed with the group’s chairman, the Honorable Madeleine Albright.  “Between now and 2020, the Alliance will face a new generation of dangers from sources that are geographically and technologically diverse,” he quoted the former US secretary of state as saying. 
He stressed the importance of maintaining the “adequate resources and political will” for the new Strategic Concept to be effective, especially in the light of the financial crisis and current budgetary hardships. 

A political and social analysis of the Greek financial crisis can shed new light on its causes and consequences, delegates at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly heard on Saturday. 
“My own understanding of the current crisis is that it is primarily a political one,” said Spyros Economides, senior lecturer in International Relations and European Politics at the London School of Economics.
The root causes go back to attitudes towards the state, and political weaknesses at the European level, he told the Economics and Security Committee at the Assembly’s Spring Session in Riga.  
Greece’s deficit currently stands at 14 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), while its debt-to-GDP ratio is 115 per cent. The European Union (EU) has undertaken to provide 80 billion euros as part of a bailout plan, which also includes 30 billion euros from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). 

On Sunday, 30 May, national delegations to the NATO PA donated books on NATO, defence issues, and the culture and history of their countries to the Latvian National Library.

“These donations of books to the National Library of Latvia are an important symbol of our solidarity as members of this transatlantic Alliance. In a complex and changing world, it is important that all of us remain current on strategic thinking as well as develop an appreciation for the events that led us to where we are today,” stressed President of the NATO PA Mr John Tanner.

“It is important for us to communicate the significance of history to our younger citizens and help them develop an understanding of the world around them,” acknowledged Mr J.Tanner.

Day 4 of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s (PA) Session – 31 May – will begin with a group photo session of the Standing Committee members. Meetings of the Standing Committee and the NATO–Russia parliamentary committee are also scheduled for this morning. The Standing Committee is composed of 28 heads of national delegations from NATO member states, the President and the Vice Presidents of the Parliamentary Assembly, and the heads of five Parliamentary Assembly’s committees.

The meeting of the Standing Committee will be followed by the NATO–Russia Parliamentary Committee Meeting. After the meeting, members of this committee will meet with representatives of the mass media.