Press releases

The 5th annual Rīga Conference 2010 commences today

The Rīga Conference 2010 opens today for two day invigorating security and foreign policy debate. The conference aims to kick-off high level international discussions on foreign and security policy issues before entering the intensive policy making season in the fall of 2010. The conference has become the most significant gathering of some of the most respected world thinkers, academics, commentators, journalists, and politicians, providing a platform for a broad intellectual exchange on the current Transatlantic agenda.

Two days of intensive and vivid discussions will be divided into five panels covering such issues as transatlantic cooperation and solidarity, a strategy towards contested Eastern neighborhood, Afghanistan, energy issues in the context of global economic crisis, and the long-expected NATO reforms. This year, alongside the number of foreign and defence ministers, recognized academics, diplomats and experts the President of Poland H. E. Mr. Bronisław Komorowski will join the three presidents of the Baltic states – H.E. Mr. Valdis Zatlers (Latvia), H.E. Mrs. Dalia Grybauskaitė (Lithuania) and H.E. Mr. Toomas Hendrik Ilves (Estonia) at the Rīga Conference 2010 to discuss the regional cooperation in the shadow of the economic crisis.

To engage broader audience across the Transatlantic, live broadcast of the discussions will be available on homepage of the Rīga Conference 2010 (http://www.rigaconference.lv/library/livestream). Broadcast will be supplemented by online discussion where participants will be able to discuss topics of the Rīga Conference and post questions to the panelists. Most interesting comments and challenging questions will be forwarded to the moderator of discussion panel.

Broadcast will commence on September 10, 16:00 (CET + 1 h). Please note that Night Owl sessions are closed for any broadcast or press coverage, thus will not be available online.

The Rīga Conference 2010 is organised by the Latvian Transatlantic Organisation (LATO) in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia and the Ministry of Defence of Latvia as well as supported by the the German Marshall Fund of the United States, NATO, Soros Foundation – Latvia, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, European Commission Representation in Latvia and the Embassy of the United States in Riga, Informative support is ensured by LETA, DELFI un Latvijas Avīze.