On Friday, 13 May, the Saeima will host a high level conference “Security in the Baltic Region: Current Developments and the Way Ahead”. It will focus on such topics as strengthening of mass media, countering of hybrid threats, and strategic recalibration of NATO and the EU.
The conference, organised by the Baltic Assembly (BA) and the Baltic Council of Ministers, will feature opening addresses by Jānis Vucāns, President of the BA; Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima; and Māris Kučinskis, Prime Minister.
“Developments of the recent years in Europe and the rest of the world have brought numerous challenges that cannot be ignored. Strengthening of the region’s security requires coordination and a common approach, which is why we are coming together to discuss and agree on the most effective solutions,” said Jānis Vucāns, President of the BA.
The first session of the conference is dedicated to the strengthening of media in the Baltic States, the region and worldwide; it is based on the premise that free and strong media and security are mutually reinforcing concepts.
In the second session participants will discuss the challenges of hybrid warfare and hybrid threats. The panel will focus on disentangling the complexity behind the hybrid nature of modern warfare in order to successfully tackle hybrid threats and increase resilience at the state and societal level. The role of national parliaments will be discussed in particular.
The third session is titled “The Baltic Perspective on NATO and EU Strategic Recalibration”. It will sum up the previous discussions and will put security of the Baltic region in a broader perspective, particularly reflecting on priorities of the upcoming EU Global Strategy on Foreign and Security Policy and on preparations for the NATO Summit in Warsaw. The potential for closer cooperation between NATO and the EU, including more synergies in addressing today’s challenges in such areas as strategic communications, cyber and energy security, and others will be discussed.
The international conference “Security in the Baltic Region: Current Developments and the Way Ahead” will take place 9:00 – 14:15, in the Red Room of the Saeima, Jēkaba iela 11, Riga.
Live stream of the conference will be available on the Saeima website: www.saeima.lv.
About the Baltic Assembly:
The Baltic Assembly is an interparliamentary cooperation organisation of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania established on 8 November 1991. Each national parliament of the Baltic States is represented in the Baltic Assembly by 12 to 20 members of parliament. It is a coordinating and consultative organisation which has a right to express its opinion to the national parliaments and governments of the Baltic States, as well as the Baltic Council of Ministers, in the form of resolutions, decisions, declarations and recommendations; it also has a right to request the above-mentioned bodies to provide information on cross-border issues that are high on the Baltic Assembly’s agenda.
Saeima Press Service