Conference of the Baltic Assembly and the Baltic Council of Ministers to take place in Riga

On 8-9 May 2025, the annual Conference of the Baltic Assembly and the Baltic Council of Ministers will take place in Riga, Latvia. The theme chosen for this year is “BORDERS OF DIPLOMACY AND DIPLOMACY BEYOND BORDERS”, which encompasses regional and foreign policy and partnerships between organisations and their international counterparts. 

Joining the Baltic Voices: Executing United Foreign Policy to Tackle Regional Challenges

Chaired by Andrejs Pildegovičs, Ambassador-at-Large, Head of the Secretariat for Latvia’s Candidacy to the UN Security Council, discussions during the session will include individuals from the Baltic States and beyond engaged in parliamentary diplomacy alongside the government representatives who can benefit from the collaborative efforts of parliamentarians in addressing pressing regional challenges.

The panel discussion will welcome Artjoms Uršluļskis, Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, H.E. Eerik Marmei, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Estonia to Latvia, H.E. Valdas Lastauskas, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Lithuania to Latvia, Jānis Vucāns, President of the Baltic Assembly, Timo Suslov and Giedrius Drukteinis, Vice Presidents of the Baltic Assembly.

Strengthening Regional Partnerships: Advancing Cooperation Between the Baltic Assembly and its International Partners

Chaired by Jānis Vucāns, President of the Baltic Assembly, the second session aims to share best practices for parliamentary diplomacy and strengthening cooperation on political, economic, and security issues, but also to discuss concrete ideas for improving cooperation between international organisations.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Leader of Democratic Forces of Belarus and  Head of United Transitional Cabinet, and Zlatko Šabič, Professor of International Relations at the University of Ljubljana, Chair and Senior Researcher at the Centre of International Relations, International Relations Adviser to the President of the Republic of Slovenia, will share insight on the topic. A panel discussion will feature discussions between Alfons Röblom, President of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference, Heléne Björklund, President of the Nordic Council, and Pim van Ballekom, Vice President of the Benelux Parliament. 

Programme of the meeting here. 

Photo by Ernests Dinka