Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins and NATO Secretary General to discuss Baltic involvement in development of new NATO Strategic Concept [04 Jul 2009]

On 9 July, the NATO Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, will arrive on a farewell visit to Latvia. During his visit, NATO's Secretary General will meet with the Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins and the Defence Minister Imants Liegis.

During the meeting with the Secretary General, Foreign Minister Riekstins plans to review the co-operation to date between Latvia and NATO, including Latvia's participation in international operations, as well as the successful teamwork between NATO and the Latvian Government in the organization of the meeting of NATO Heads of State and Government in 2006 in Riga.

Both parties are also to review the development of a new NATO Strategic Concept and the involvement of the Baltic states in the drafting of the document. On 7 July in Brussels, under the authority of the NATO Secretary General, the first public debate on the Alliance's new Strategic Concept will be launched, in which Latvia will be represented at the expert level by former Ambassador of Latvia to the U.S., Permanent Representative to NATO, Aivis Ronis. Further information on the Security Policy Conference of 7 July in Brussels is available on the NATO website.

Jaap de Hoof Scheffer from the Netherlands was elected the NATO Secretary General on 5 January 2004.

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