NATO Parliamentary Assembly                                                               

The NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) was established in 1955 as a consultative inter-parliamentary organisation uniting the parliamentarians of the member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (269 delegates from 30 NATO member states).

The Latvian delegation of the NATO PA is comprised of six Members of the Latvian Parliament (three permanent members and three alternate members). 

The PA serves as an important link between the NATO and the parliaments of its member states, strengthening the political dialogue and promoting public support for the policies of the Alliance. It ensures democratic control over the armed forces, promotes awareness of the key security issues, and improves the transparency of NATO policies. The Assembly helps strengthen transatlantic relationships – a core value of the Alliance – and a mutually beneficial cooperation with the European Union. It signals that NATO is not merely a polito-military organisation, but an alliance of democratic states that share similar values.

Since the end of the Cold War, the NATO PA works with parliamentarians representing Central European, Eastern European and other counties worldwide that aim to strengthen their cooperation with the Alliance (totalling around 100 delegates from 11 associated states, four associated states of the Mediterranean region, as well as eight parliamentary observer delegations). The integration of these states has provided both political and practical assistance, and has strengthened the parliamentary security and democracy across the Euro-Atlantic area and the entire world.

The NATO PA has five Standing Committees:

• the Defence and Security Committee;
• the Committee on the Civil Dimension of Security;
• the Economics and Security Committee;
• the Political Committee;
• the Science and Technology Committee.

In addition, there are two active councils:

• the Ukraine-NATO Interparliamentary Council;
• the Georgia-NATO Interparliamentary Council.

During NATO PA Sessions, parliamentarians develop and adopt resolutions on topical transatlantic security issues, innovations, as well as new and existing strategies.