NATO Parliamentary Assembly begins in Riga

David Hobbs (right), secretary general of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly takes questions from reporters at Friday's press conference. Photo by Delmi Álvarez/Baltic Reports

RIGA — The spring session of NATO’s Parliamentary Assembly in Latvia has begun with around 700 participants discussing matters of defense, particularly in light of the economic crisis.

The session is being attended by parliamentarians from 28 NATO member states and 13 associate members states of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. Latvia resumed passport checks on its land, sea and air borders for the NATO meet in an effort to step up security.

One of the key issues on the agenda of is to draft the NATO’s new Strategic Concept, set to be submitted to the NATO heads of government at the November 2010 summit in Lisbon. The Strategic Concept will redefine the alliance’s goals, as its original purpose of defending against Soviet aggression is no longer relevant and the past decade’s security threats has been defined by terrorism from Islamic extremists.

This will include examining the military, economic and energy security of alliance members states, especially looking at world balance of power issues, NATO’s relationship with Russia and the war in Afghanistan.

The host country Latvia will be represented by Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis, Chairman of the Saeima Gundars Daudze, former President Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, Latvian Minister of Defense Imants Lieģis, Commander of the National Armed Forces Juris Maklakovs, Minister of Foreign Affairs Aivis Ronis, the national bank govorner Ilmārs Rimšēvičs and University of Latvia professor Žaneta Ozoliņa.

The main event of the session will be the June 1 plenary session which will include NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and U.S. Congressman John Tanner among others.

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