Delegations of NATO Member States to arrive in Riga for preparatory visit

18.07.2006

As the Meeting of NATO Heads of State and Government approaches, several delegations of NATO Member States will visit Riga in July in order to discuss topical issues regarding organization of NATO Summit.

Romanian and Polish delegations visited Riga on July 17th and 18th, on July 25th  representatives from Turkey. Representatives from the United Kingdom have already visited Latvia, while visits of delegations from Canada, Norway and Estonia are planned for September. 
 
During these visits representatives of the Allies meet with the NATO Summit Latvia Task Force that introduces delegations to preparations of the Summit, as well as issues regarding accommodation, transport, protocol and security of delegations. In bilateral meetings requests of a particular NATO Member State delegation during the Summit are also discussed. In addition, the main NATO Summit facilities in Riga are presented to the quests.  

Consultations between NATO Member States’ delegations and the host country of the Summit are held before every meeting of NATO Heads of State and Government in order to provide a successful organization of the Summit. Latvia as the Summit organizer also expects representatives of NATO Member States’ delegations to arrive during preparation process for the Summit. 

Quote

Tony Blair

"...this is a very, very important Summit in my view because ever since the Soviet Union has gone, NATO has been, as it were, considering what its role for the future is.  Now I think that role is very, very clear and very strong and we need to develop it and I think the Riga Summit will give us a chance to do that and I hope therefore the reforms the Secretary-General of NATO is putting forward are reforms that we listen to and act on

- Tony Blair,
The British Prime Minister

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