From October 23 to October 24 in the Mazā Ģilde (the Small Guild) the
Riga Conference 2009 entitled "
Economic Recovery in a Changing Security Environment: Transatlantic Agenda 2010" will take place. For the fourth time already Riga will gather heads of states, the world's leading academicians, politicians, representatives from non-governmental organizations, commentators and journalists to continue with the high level international discussions on foreign and security policy issues.
Key topics of the Riga Conference 2009:
- Recovery from the Recession in the Baltic's – What Lies Ahead?;
- Providing Strategic Reassurance in Northern Europe;
- Changing European Borders: a New Security Paradigm in the Black Sea Region;
- Milestones for the New Strategic Concept of NATO;
- Agenda 2010 for Transatlantic Institutions – A Baltic Vision.
Two topics – EU Internal Gas Market Reform:
- Overcoming Suppliers' Dependence;
- Ukraine between East and West Magnets (will be discussed in the Night Owl session under the Chatham house rules).
President Valdis Zatlers of Latvia, President Toomas Hendrik Ilves of Estonia, President Dalia Grybauskaite of Lithuania, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration of Luxembourg Jean Asselborn, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia Maris Riekstins, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Vygaudas Ušackas, the Minister of Defence of Latvia Imants Liegis, EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus Peter Semneby, the President of the German Marshall Fund of the United States Craig Kennedy and other prominent figures are expected to take part in the conference.
The Riga Conference 2009 is organized by the Latvian Transatlantic Organisation in co-operation with the Ministry of Defence of Latvia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Baltic to Black Sea Alliance and the Commission of Strategic Analysis of Latvia under the auspices of the President of Latvia. The conference is supported by the German Marshall Fund of the United States, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the Soros Foundation Latvia, the Embassy of the United States in Latvia and NATO.
More information about the Riga Conference 2009 will be available on the conference site www.rigaconference.lv. Working language of the Riga Conference 2009 is English.
