Latvian EU Pre-Presidency Conference on “Moving the Union Forward: Involvement, Growth, Sustainability”
4-5 December 2014, Latvian Institute of International Affairs (LIIA), Riga
On 4-5 December 2014, LIIA organized the conference “Moving the Union Forward: Involvement, Growth, Sustainability” in cooperation with the Trans European Policy Studies Association (TEPSA) and the THESEUS Project, with generous support of the Fritz Thyssen Stiftung and the European Commission Representation in Latvia. This has been recognized as an official event of the Latvian EU Presidency and is also supported by the Presidency. Please find the provisional programme here.
Semi-formal debate on “From the Baltic Revolution to the Cultural Capital of Europe: An American Reflects on Returning to Riga”
24 November 2014, the Latvian Institute of International Affairs (LIIA), Riga
On November 24 at 17.00, the Latvian Institute of International Affairs hosted a debate “From the Baltic Revolution to the Cultural Capital of Europe: An American Reflects on Returning to Riga”, featuring Douglas Wake. Douglas Wake is a former American diplomat, international civil servant and educator with extensive experience in Latvia and neighboring countries including Russia and much of Europe and Eurasia. He has been visiting Riga periodically since 1988 and served at the American Embassy on Raina Bulvaris from 1994 to 1997. Doug is now spending three months as a Visiting Fellow at the Latvian Institute of International Affairs here in Riga. He shared his personal impressions of some regional security, political and economic developments in Latvia and the broader region over the past quarter century; he looked forward to an exchange of views about current challenges and prospects for Latvia’s future in a dynamic international environment.
International discussion on “Energy (In)Security: Ways Forward for the Europe and the Baltic States”
13 November 2014, the Latvian Institute of International Affairs (LIIA), Riga
On November 13 at 15:00, the Latvian Institute of International Affairs in cooperation with the Centre for Geopolitical Studies (Lithuania) organized a public discussion “Ways Forward for the Baltic / European Energy Security”. The escalating Ukrainian crisis has moved European energy security higher up on the agenda, and for Latvia, its upcoming EU presidency adds extra importance to this traditionally topical issue. This event aimed at providing the latest information and analysis about energy security in Latvia, Baltic Sea Region and the European Union, as well as discussing different alternatives for further action, including the brand new Connecting Europe Facility, cooperation with the US et cetera. Particular attention was paid to the gas policies. The debate featured Krišjānis Kariņš (Member of the European Parliament, Latvia), Alan Riley (Professor of Law at City Law School, specializing in energy law, United Kingdom), Ruben Vermeeren (Policy Officer, European Commission, DG ENERGY), Mikhail Krutikhin (Partner, RusEnergy, Russia) and Juozas Augutis (Energy Security Research Centre, Lithuania). Web stream available here.
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Debate on “Debriefing the Wales NATO Summit: Way Forward for NATO’s Eurasian Partnerships”, 8 September 2014, the Latvian Institute of International Affairs (LIIA), Riga
On 8 September, LIIA hosted the debate “Debriefing the Wales NATO Summit: Way Forward for NATO’s Eurasian Partnerships”, with the support of NATO. It was dedicated to the results of the Wales NATO summit, with a particular focus on the Alliance’s Eurasian partnerships (Ukraine, Moldova, Russia, Baltic Sea Region, etc.). Andris Spruds (Director, LIIA), Edgars Rinkevics (Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia) and Janis Sarts (State Secretary, Ministry of Defence of Latvia) delivered introductory remarks. Panel speakers included Guna Snore (Program Officer, NATO Public Diplomacy Division), Eka Tkeshelashvili (President, Georgian Institute for Strategic Studies), Leonid Polyakov (Senior Fellow, Institute for Strategic Studies “New Ukraine”; former Deputy Minister of Defence, Ukraine), Sergey Oznobishchev (Director, Institute for Strategic Assessments, Russia), Robert Nurick (Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council of the United States, the US; Visiting Senior Fellow, Finnish Institute of International Affairs) and Doug Wake (Visiting Fellow, LIIA, the USA).
Check the conference video and photos.