Riga, 27 May 2010 - INTERNATIONAL LEGISLATORS TO DEBATE ALLIANCE SECURITY ISSUES AT NATO PA SPRING SESSION IN RIGA

The main discussions will take place within the Assembly’s five committees (Defence and Security, Political, Economics and Security, Science and Technology, Civil Dimension of Security), based on reports prepared by Assembly members and on briefings by international security experts and government high representatives.

NATO-led operations in Afghanistan will feature prominently on the agendas as will relations with Russia.   Other issues include the next steps in drafting NATO’s new Strategic Concept, Security in the Gulf and Arabian peninsula,  Alliance cohesion, maritime security, the Western Balkans, climate change and High North, energy security, WMD proliferation and missile defence, global recession, long term economic change and US non-strategic Nuclear Weapons in Europe.

Latvia ’s high officials and experts will brief the Committee meetings. Amongst these, Mr Alain Deltroz, from the ICG and Mr Spyros Economides, Senior lecturer in International Relations and European Politics at the London school of Economics.  The full programme is available at http://www.nato-pa.int/default.asp?SHORTCUT=2014

The Plenary Session on Tuesday 1 June will be addressed by NATO PA President, Congressman John Tanner; NATO Secretary General, Mr Anders Fogh RASMUSSEN; Gen. Egon RAMMS, Commander Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum and Mr Abdul Rahim WARDAK, Defence Minister of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Latvia ’s high officials will be represented by Mr Gundars DAUDZE, Speaker of the Parliament of Latvia and Mr Valdis DOMBROVSKIS, Prime Minister of Latvia.

Mr. Sven Mikser, Vice President of the NATO PA; Mrs. Vaira Paegle, Head of the Latvian delegation to the NATO PA; and Mr. David Hobbs, Secretary General of the NATO PA will give a press briefing on Friday 28 at 11:00.

On Monday 31 May, the leaders of the member delegations and of the Russian Federal Assembly will meet in an “at 28” format. Alexei Pushkov, director of the Institute of Contemporary International Studies at the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian MFA and Amb. Alexander Vershbow, US Assistant Secretary General of Defence for International Security Affairs will brief the committee. Though the meeting is not open to the press, there may be a press opportunity with the NATO PA president, Hon Tanner, the Head of the Russian Federation Duma delegation, Mrs Lubov Sliska and Amb Vershbow. More details will follow.