10 September a briefing was held with NATO General Secretary Jaap de Hoop Scheffer at the Swedish Institute for International Affairs for the Ambassadors of the NATO Member States in Stockholm. The briefing, led by Ambassador Artis Bērtulis, concluded the one-day visit of the General Secretary. The Embassy of Latvia is acting as the NATO Contact Point in Sweden until 1 September 2006.

Before the briefing Mr. Scheffer held a lecture, "Nato and the Future", in which he analysed the role of NATO in the post cold war era, as well as the changing situation in security policy as a result of the NATO expansion and new political guidelines.

Jaap de Hoop Schefer was appointed as the eleventh General Secretary of NATO in succession in January this year.