The conference provides an opportunity for stakeholders to identify the current security and foreign policy issues in the Baltic Sea region and beyond. The opening day will offer topics such as Europe’s global role and influence, the future strategies of NATO and its responses to security threats, and the EU Green Deal. The discussions will welcome speakers like the ex-president of Latvia Dr Vaira Vīķe- Freiberga, Director of the European Council on Foreign Relations Mark Leonard, Assistant Secretary-General of NATO for Public Diplomacy Baiba Braže and many others. An additional side event discussing the security of the Baltic Sea region will be hosted alongside the main programme.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs says: “the Rīga Conference will offer a look at the current events and challenges, which influence international politics. The participants of the conference will discuss the potential of Europe as a global actor, the strategic future of NATO, Russian revisionism-oriented foreign policy direction, the situation in Belarus, the change of power in Afghanistan, and the importance of the Three Sea region in the transatlantic relations. They will also discuss the new forms of competition between centres of power, the growth of risks to the international rule of law and democratic values, climate change, the impact of new technologies on international processes, and the different hybrid threats. We expect a vast scope of topics, saturated and high-quality exchange of opinions, and discussions, which result in an opportunity to answer international challenges.” Due to the health condition of the President of Latvia Egils Levits, the planned discussion with the President of Romania Klaus Iohanni will not take place. Instead, a discussion between the Heads of Foreign Affairs Committees of the Parliaments of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia will take place.
The Rīga Conference is organised jointly by the Latvian Transatlantic Organisation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia, and the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Latvia in close cooperation with NATO Public Diplomacy Division and Konrad Adenauer Foundation in the Baltic States. The conference is supported by Microsoft, the United States Embassy in Latvia, the Embassy of Canada in Latvia, European Commission Representation in Latvia, the Embassy of Georgia in Latvia, the Embassy of Germany in Latvia, the Embassy of Turkey in Latvia, Swedbank, the Nordic Council of Ministers, Seal, Riga City Council, Visegrad Insight, Boston Global Forum and Oxford Analytica.
Other contributions to the conference have been made AIWS.net, Riga International Airport, Narvesen, Caffeine, Pupuchi, Lauvas Tēja, RicBerry, Cannelle Bakery, Maple, BALTA, B’More, Askaneli Brothers, Amber Distribution, AUDI, and the National Library of Latvia.
The Boston Global Forum (BGF), in collaboration with the United Nations Centennial Initiative, released a major work entitled Remaking the World – Toward an Age of Global Enlightenment. More than twenty distinguished leaders, scholars, analysts, and thinkers put forth unprecedented approaches to the challenges before us. These include President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, Governor Michael Dukakis, Father of Internet Vint Cerf, Former Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, Harvard University Professors Joseph Nye and Thomas Patterson, MIT Professors Nazli Choucri and Alex ‘Sandy’ Pentland, and European Parliament Member Eva Kaili. The BGF introduced core concepts shaping pathbreaking international initiatives, notably, the Social Contract for the AI Age, an AI International Accord, the Global Alliance for Digital Governance, the AI World Society (AIWS) Ecosystem, and AIWS City.
