Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins to meet with NATO Secretary General

On 28 January in Brussels, Foreign Minister Riekstins will meet with Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, NATO Secretary General. For Mr Riekstins on his post as Foreign Minister, this will be the first bilateral meeting with NATO Secretary General, who at the NATO meeting of Foreign Ministers in Brussels on 7 December last year welcomed Maris Riekstins among the ministers of the member countries to the alliance. 

During the meeting, principal issues on NATO agenda are to be covered, including the upcoming NATO Summit from 3 to 4 April this year in the capital of Romania, Bucharest, NATO operations in Afghanistan and Kosovo, as well as the latest developments in NATO policy since the Riga Summit of 2006, which are of particular interest to Latvia.                       

Already during the Riga event, it was decided that the next would be an enlargement summit. To this end, the political agenda of the Bucharest meeting of NATO Heads of State and Government will focus on decisions with regard to inviting Croatia, Albania, and Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to become member countries of the alliance. In order to prepare such decision, Minister Riekstins intends to visit the three Adriatic aspirants. 

On 6 March, prior to the Bucharest Summit, there will be a meeting of NATO foreign ministers, during which the topics and decisions to be considered during the summit will be discussed and prepared. 

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Una Pušpūra

Foreign Minister's Press Secretary

Tel. (+371) 7016399

Mob. (+371) 26410149

e-mail: Una.Puspura@am.gov.lv