Riga Conference to be held on 10-11 September 2010 [31 Aug 2010]

On 10-11 September 2010, the annual high level foreign policy and security policy forum, the Riga Conference 2010, will take place in Riga, in the Mazā Ģilde (the Small Guild) at 3/5 Amatu iela. This year's Riga Conference aims at launching an open discussion on the intensity of the U.S. – European Union (EU) co-operation and its effectiveness in the context of the global economic crisis, energy issues, new challenges to be handled by NATO, the EU Member States' strategy in relations with neighbouring countries, as well as about NATO-led international operation in Afghanistan.  

Over the five years of its existence, the Riga Conference has become the North European discussion forum gathering each year some of the most respected world thinkers, academics, journalists and prominent politicians, providing a platform for a broad exchange of ideas and opinions on the current international agenda of security policy and foreign policy issues. Taking part in this year's Riga Conference are the Presidents of the three Baltic states and Poland; the speakers also include EU Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs, Former President of Latvia Dr. Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, as well as foreign affairs and defence ministers and senior officials from a number of countries, notable foreign policy analysts, and others.  

This year, the Riga Conference discussions will be broadcast online, on the Riga Conference website (www.rigaconference.lv), enabling everyone not only to follow an interesting exchange of opinion, but also to post questions which the moderator, at his discretion, will forward to the participants of the debate.

The Riga Conference 2010 is organized by the Latvian Transatlantic Organisation (LATO) in co-operation with the Ministry of Defence of Latvia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia. The conference is supported by the German Marshall Fund of the United States, the North Atlantic Treaty organisation (NATO), the Soros Foundation – Latvia, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the Soros Foundation Latvia, the Embassy of the United States in Latvia, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, and the European Commission Representation in Latvia. Informational support is provided by LETA, DELFI, and newspaper Latvijas Avīze.

Media representatives are requested to apply for accreditation by e-mailing a completed accreditation form to inese@lato.lv. Further information can be obtained by calling +371 25922334.

Riga Conference 2010 Media Programme

Media Accreditation Form

Inese Loce

Latvian Transatlantic organisation (LATO)

Media co-ordinator

E-mail: inese@lato.lv

Mob. phone: 25922334

www.rigaconference.lv

www.lato.lv