Chronology of Co-operation between Latvian and NATO 2000
1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004
| 2000 | |
| December 15 |
Meeting of the candidate countries of NATO in Brussels. The meeting of "Vilnius 9" is initiated by Latvia and chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Indulis Berzins. At the end of the meeting a joint statement is approved. The U.S. State Secretary Madeline Albright and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of NATO Central Europe countries Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary take part in the discussions with the representatives of "Vilnius group" countries. The U.S. State Secretary expresses support to further co-operation among the nine candidate countries. |
| November 27/29 | President of Republic of Latvia Vaira Vike Freiberga meets Secretary General of NATO George Robertson in Brussels. |
| November 21/22 | Special Adviser for Central and Eastern European Affairs to the Secretary General of NATO Chris Donnelly visites Latvia. |
| November 10 | Latvia and NATO (SPCR, Senior Political Committee Reinforced) meet in Brussels at "19+1" format. The subject of the meeting is Latvia's MAP 2001. |
| October 12 | The Minister of Foreign Affairs Indulis Berzins meets the President of the Atlantic Agreement Association Theodossis Georgiou. I.Berzins emphasizes the role of non-governmental organisations in informing society and shaping public attitude, also the activities of the members of the Atlantic Agreement Association in supporting the enlargement of NATO and inclusion of the Baltic countries in the next enlargement round. Successful commencement of the activities of the Latvian Transatlantic Organisation is emphasised, as well as the involvement of the organisation in international co-operation projects. |
| September 26 | The Minister of Foreign Affairs Indulis Berzins meets the Ambassador of the Czech Republic to NATO Karel Kovanda and the Ambassador of Hungary to NATO Andras Simonyi. Referring to the experience of the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary, the Ambassadors emphasise the significance of close co-operation and joint action by the candidate countries in promoting the enlargement of NATO. The ambassadors inform that the Czech Republic and Hungary will continue to assist Latvia in the process of preparation for NATO. |
| September 25 | The Minister of Foreign Affairs Indulis Berzins meets NATO Assistant Secretary General Klaus-Peter Klaiber. The Assistant Secretary General recognises the successful accomplishments of Latvia in the enlargement process and states that it is important to continue implementation of the concrete tasks outlined in MAP. The Assistant Secretary General stresses the importance of the preparation process for the candidate countries, also approximation to NATO standards in the military and the political fields. At the meeting with the Minister of Defence Girts Valdis Kristovskis, MAP 2001 for membership in NATO is formally handed to Klaus-Peter Klaiber. |
| September 13 | The Political Adviser to the CINC Allied Forces North Europe Jack Segal visits Riga. Jack Segal indicates that the decisive factor for membership into NATO is the ability of the Baltic States to co-operate in the military field. |
| September 4 | The Minister of Foreign Affairs Indulis Berzins meets with the members of the delegation of NATO Parliamentary Assembly. The Minister of Foreign Affairs emphasises that support by the parliament of each NATO member country is essential for continuation of the EU and NATO enlargement processes, and that such visits allow the Members of the Parliament to learn what has been accomplished in Latvia while preparing for membership in the EU and NATO. |
| August 14 | Latvia welcomes the decision of NATO to approve for a second time the U.S. Embassy as NATO contact embassy in Latvia. It is noted that there is a symbolic meaning attached to the fact that the status of the contact embassy will be retained until the year 2002 when NATO member countries hopefully will take a decision about further enlargement of the Alliance. The U.S. was NATO contact country for Latvia also during the period of 1998 until 2000 and the accomplishments of that period are proof that Latvia also in the future can rely on significant support and assistance in preparations for NATO membership. |
| August 14 | At the meeting of NATO Integration Council issues related to the structure of the national defence budget and its formation are discussed. The Council acknowledged that the objective will be accomplished - to assign 2% of GDP to the defence budget of 2003. The members of NATO Council meeting were informed about the implementation of the MAP 2000 in the first six months of the year and received information about drafting MAP 2001 for Latvia. |
| August 11 | The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia Indulis Berzins meets with the Chairman of the sub-commission of the Defence Commission of the U.S. Congress Herbert Bateman. The Minister of Foreign Affairs informed the congressman about the foreign policy priorities in Latvia - striving towards the EU and NATO, and the actions taken by Latvia to fulfil the criteria outlined in the MAP for NATO membership. H.Bateman assessed positively the development of Latvia and the achievements in the field of defence. The U.S. congressman expressed appreciation for Latvia's participation in the peace keeping forces. The successful implementation of public integration process in Latvia was touched upon in the discussion. The participants of the meeting discussed the possibilities for Latvia to share its Euro-integration experience with Ukraine, Georgia and other countries. |
| July 5 | In Luxembourg the Ambassador of the Republic of Latvia to NATO Imants Liegis on behalf of the Government of Latvia signes the Memorandum of Agreement with NATO Maintenance and Supply Organisation (NAMSO). The Memorandum will serve as a basis for co-operation between Latvia and NATO in the field of supplies for armed forces, including purchasing of equipment, maintenance and related services, also various forms of technical assistance. |
| June 30 | The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia Indulis Berzins meets with the Chairman of the Military Committee of NATO, Admiral Guido Venturoni. I.Berzins informed the Chairman of the Military Committee of NATO about Latvia's preparation process for NATO membership. The effectiveness of the Membership Action Plan (MAP) in order to improve the practical military readiness of the countries was emphasised. The Minister of Foreign Affairs pointed out the growing public support for Latvia's membership in NATO. The Chairman of the Military Committee of NATO positively assessed the accomplishments of Latvia. Admiral Venturoni indicated that although there may exist well drafted preparation plans and correctly listed priorities, sufficient financial resources would have to be provided for implementation of these plans. The Admiral emphasised that in Latvia he had got an impression that the Parliament and the Government understood the underlying importance of this factor. |
| June 22 | The State Secretary of Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maris Riekstins meets with the Defence Minister of the Czech Republic Vladimir Vetchy. In the discussion attention was focused mainly on issues related to integration in NATO and the EU. M.Riekstins remarked the positive co-operation potential that had been established between Latvia and the Czech Republic, as well as more intensive mutual co-operation. The Minister of Defence of the Czech Republic acknowledged that his country would support Latvia on its way to NATO membership, and indicated that it was important for each candidate country to complete its homework seriously and thoroughly in order to be able to join NATO. It was discussed how the experience of the Czech Republic gained in NATO integration process could be used and shared. |
| June 22 | Security policy consultations between Latvia - the United Kingdom takes place in Riga. The United Kingdom was represented by the Head of the Security Policy Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Adam Thompson and the Director of the Eastern Europe Directorate Malcolm Howath. Latvia was represented by the acting Director of the Security Policy Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Inga Skuja and the acting State Secretary of the Ministry of Defence Janis Sarts. The consultation included issues related to the MAP, NATO enlargement, Russia's position in NATO enlargement process, National Missile Defence, CFE Agreement, Common European Security and Defence Policy (CESDP), and also bilateral co-operation. |
| June 12-13 | Meeting of the experts of the Ministries of Defence and the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the nine NATO candidate countries takes place in Sofia, Bulgaria. The key objective of the meeting was to discuss the development process, implementation and future prospects of NATO Membership Action Plan (MAP) that was initiated during Washington Summit. This was the first time when nine NATO candidate countries jointly discussed MAP process related issues. The meeting was attended also by experts from the U.S., United Kingdom, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, the representative of NATO Secretary General, scientists from George Marshall centre. Each country presented its experience in drafting and implementation of their National Action Plan, also came up with proposals for further improvement of the MAP process. The representatives of NATO countries and the researchers of security aspects from NGOs presented their vision of the MAP process. Obligations of the Baltic countries in the MAP process were highlighted. The methodology selected in the Baltic countries for drafting and implementation of the National Action Plans was acknowledged as a good example for other NATO candidate countries. |
| June 9 | Political and military consultations between Latvia - Hungary take place in Budapest, Hungary. The parties discussed NATO enlargement and bilateral co-operation issues, also the MAP process. Hungary highly evaluated Latvia's success in NATO integration process, also praised its well prepared MAP. |
| June 7 | State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maris Riekstins takes part in the U.S.-Baltic Partnership Commission Meeting in Tallinn, Estonia. In the joint communique the U.S. congratulated the Baltic countries for their success in the first year of the MAP. The U.S. acknowledged military co-operation projects of the Baltic countries and highly appreciated their contribution to the peace keeping operations in the crisis regions of Europe. It was emphasised that Russia had to come to terms with the open doors policy of NATO and the constancy of its enlargement process. |
| June 5 | NATO Integration Council approves the schedule for drafting Latvia's Membership Action Plan (MAP) for the year 2001. |
| May 25 |
The Minister of Foreign Affairs Indulis Berzins takes part in meeting of Euro Atlantic Partnership Committee (EAPC) in Florence, Italy. Co-operation of the partnership countries with NATO in the first half of year 2000 was discussed. At the meeting I.Berzins spoke about more effective application of EAPC and the program Partnership for Peace in preventing conflicts and crisis settlement, and emphasised that in this field Europe should take a bigger share of responsibility while maintaining a close transatlantic link with the U.S. and Canada. The Minister outlined Latvia's contribution to joint operations by NATO and the partnership countries which could become more effective once a national Crisis Management Centre was established. With a reference to Vilnius conference of NATO candidate countries, the Minister appealed to the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of NATO countries with a request to allow in at the next enlargement round of the Alliance all those candidate countries that have successfully completed preparatory work within the framework of MAP. |
| May 18-19 | Foreign Minister of Latvia Mr. Indulis Berzins participates in the international conference "NATO's Role in the Changing Security Environment in Europe" that takes place in Vilnius. The conference is attended by the NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson as well as the Foreign Ministers of NATO candidate countries.
At the conference the Foreign Minister of Latvia Mr. Berzins held a speech, emphasising that the NATO has to be enlarged in order to complete the unification of free Europe by embracing all the European countries that share common values and have expressed their wish to join the NATO. |
| May 15-16 | State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia Maris Riekstins takes part in meeting of the Council of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Ministers of Defence of the West European Union (WEU) in Porto, Portugal. At the 2000 Session of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs M.Riekstins delivered a speech about the crisis management experience of the WEU, also about Latvia's contribution to it and further involvement of Latvia - in the capacity of a WEU associated country - in establishing a European crisis management system. |
| May 11 | Latvia welcomes the decision of the North Atlantic Council to invite Croatia to participate in the program Partnership for Peace. Latvia emphasised that Croatia's participation in the program Partnership for Peace extended the zone of peace and stability in Europe, as well as increased the number of the supporters of transatlantic values. Latvia expressed readiness to co-operate with Croatia within the framework of the program and strengthen bilateral relations in the field of security policy. |
| May 11 | State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maris Riekstins meets with NATO Assistant Secretary General for Scientific and Environmental Affairs Yves Sillard. They discussed NATO Science program and Latvia's participation in specific projects of it. M.Riekstins acquainted the Assistant Secretary General with the accomplishments of Latvia in NATO integration process, also stresses the importance of co-operation in the field of research. State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also pointed out that public support for NATO membership was growing. NATO Assistant Secretary General positively assessed Latvia's Membership Action Plan (MAP). |
| April 17 | The Minister of Foreign Affairs Indulis Berzins meets with the Special Adviser for Central and Eastern European Affairs of NATO Secretary General Chris Donnelly in order to discuss NATO enlargement and issues related to Latvia's preparations for membership. The Minister of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the implementation of Latvia's Membership Action Plan (MAP) 2000 was continuously moving forward, and the suggestions made at the meeting of 24th March in Brussels for evaluation of the Membership Action Plan (MAP) had been analysed and approved. It was noted that informing public was an important aspect of NATO integration process. |
| April 17 | Consultation on security policy issues between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Latvia and France takes place in Riga. Latvian delegation was lead by the Understate Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ivars Pundurs. France was represented by the Deputy Director of the Department of Strategic Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Salome Zourabichvilli. The discussion topics in the consultation were the development of Common European Defence and Security Policy, as well as NATO enlargement. Latvian representatives acquainted French counterparts with the work accomplished in the first quarter of 2000 to implement Latvia's MAP for NATO membership. France expressed its support to allowing new member countries to NATO and positively assessed Latvia's accomplishments on its way to integration in NATO. |
| April 17 | In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs the Second State Secretary of the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Roger Jackling meets with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia Indulis Berzins, also with the State Secretary Maris Riekstins and the Understate Secretary Ivars Punduris. At the meeting M.Riekstins appreciated the regular dialogue between Latvia and Great Britain on security and defence issues, as well as the active co-operation in the field of defence within the framework of both bilateral and regional projects. M.Riekstins informed British counterparts about the course of Latvia's integration in NATO. During the discussion R.Jackling highly evaluated the considerable support by Latvian public and the political forces to achieving Latvia's objective - NATO membership. R.Jackling confirmed the commitment of the U.K. side to continue provision of target-oriented practical assistance in the field of defence in order to maximally utilise the MAP process for strengthening Latvia's defence capacity. |
| April 17 | Assistant Advisor to the U.S. State Secretary for European Affairs Walter W.Andrusyszyn meets with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia and the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maris Riekstins. At the meeting both sides discussed issues related to the U.S. support to Latvia's integration in the European Union and NATO, the European Security and Defence identity, as well as the relations between Latvia and Russia. I.Berzins confirmed that the priorities of Latvia - accession to the EU and NATO - remained unchanged and the current policy would be continued. |
| April 12 | Next round of Latvian - Polish security policy consultations take place in Riga. Participants of the event were security and defence policy experts from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defence of both countries. The experts of Latvian Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defence acquainted Polish colleagues with the work accomplished in the first months of 2000 in implementing Latvia's MAP 2000 for NATO membership. The delegations discussed also further development of the process of NATO Membership Action Plan (MAP) that was initiated in 1999 at NATO Washington Summit. Poland as the advocate of the Baltic countries on their way to NATO membership shared valuable experience with Latvian experts with regard to practical issues in the course of preparation for NATO, so that Latvia can avoid the mistakes made by other candidate countries. Poland repeatedly gave assurance that it supported NATO membership of the Baltic countries and was ready to provide its support to Latvia also in the future. |
| April 10 | The Prime Minister summones next meeting of NATO Integration Council. The Council discussed the results of the joint meeting of the North Atlantic Council and Latvia in Brussels. The Council was informed about the process of drafting Latvia's MAP for NATO membership. Control mechanisms for the plan and problems were also discussed at the meeting, as well as the achievements in its implementation. On the agenda of the meeting there were also issues related to the development of the Crisis Management Centre - conceptual matters, setting new objectives. |
| April 2 | Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO General Wesley Clark visits Latvia. W.Clark meets with the highest officials of Latvia to discuss Latvia's integration into NATO. The General accentuated that Latvia had done a lot to become a member of NATO. The General emphasised that successful participation in the peace operations, especially in the Balkans, shows that Latvia will be able to join the Alliance. |
| March 30 | Secretary General of NATO George Robertson visits Latvia. Secretary General stressed that Latvia was a very serious NATO candidate, and Latvia's MAP had been well drafted. G.Robertson took part in the opening of Latvian Transatlantic Organisation (LATO). |
| March 24 | The Minister of Foreign Affairs Indulis Berzins and the Minister of Defence Girts Valdis Kristovskis participate in the first review meeting of Latvia's Membership Action Plan (MAP) 2000 in Brussels. NATO was represented by the North Atlantic Council consisting of 19 Ambassadors of NATO countries. The representatives of the NATO countries characterised Latvia's Plan as realistic, credible and financially proved, thus MAP 2000 was an important step towards NATO membership. Latvia's readiness to contribute to the strengthening of European security - first of all participation in KFOR and SFOR peace missions, as well as enlargement of the stability zone by facilitating co-operation among neighbouring countries in Baltic region - was positively evaluated by the ambassadors. Several representatives of the Alliance countries assured that the attempts by Russia to slow down the process of the concluding the border agreement, unwillingness to activate bilateral co-operation with Latvia as well as unfounded complaints about human rights violations and integration of society would not affect the Alliance's decision concerning Latvia's invitation to join NATO. |
| March 21-22 | A bilateral Latvian-U.S. military working group meeting takes place in Washington. At the meeting Latvia informed about its achievements in the development of defence field and in integration of society since the previous meeting in spring of 1999. |
| March 15 | Political and military consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defence of the Republic of Latvia and the Federal Republic of Germany takes place in Riga. German delegation was informed about implementation of Latvia's Membership Action Plan (MAP) 2000 and the progress in the process of the Membership Action Plan initiated at Washing Summit. Germany positively assessed the accomplishments of Latvia and the close co-operation among the Baltic countries on their way to NATO, and emphasised that practical capabilities play an increasing role in evaluating candidate countries. |
| March 4-11 | The Minister of Foreign Affairs Indulis Berzins officially visits the U.S. The Minister meets with the Assistant State Secretary of the U.S. S.Talbot, Assistant Advisor for National Security to the U.S. President J.Steinberg, Senator R.Durbin and has a discussion with members of the U.S. Foreign Affairs National Committee. In the conversation about the role in of Latvia in the region S.Talbot positively assessed Latvia's dialogue with such countries as Ukraine which can gain from Latvia's experience and support on their way of economic reforms. I.Berzins underlined the integrity of the Baltic countries and the need for all candidate countries to co-operate for achieving a joint objective. |
| February 18 | The Ambassador of Latvia in Russia Imants Duaudiss deliveres a speech in Moscow in the conference "NATO - Russia - Central and Eastern Europe Countries after Cold War" organised by the European Security Research Centre. |
| February 16 | Latvia congratulates the renewed dialogue between NATO and Russia. Co-operation between the Atlantic Alliance and Russia, like NATO enlargement process, also plays an important role in promoting security in Europe. |
| February 10 | State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maris Riekstins meets with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic Jan Kavan in Prague. In the discussion of NATO enlargement the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic supported the three Baltic states becoming members of the Transatlantic organisation and expressed his hope that at NATO Summit of 2002 a decision will be taken to start further enlargement. |
| February 10 | Meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council dedicated to the 2nd anniversary of the U.S. - Baltic Charter takes place in Washington. During the discussions the Assistant State Secretary of the U.S. Strobe Talbot highly appreciated the Individual Membership Action Plans (MAP) of the Baltic countries and expressed his assurance that the Baltic countries had done everything possible to solve the border dispute with Russia. |
| February 2 | The NATO Assistant Secretary General Edgar Buckley visits Latvia. State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maris Riekstins meets with the NATO Assistant Secretary General Edgar Buckley. During the discussion E.Buckley was acquainted with Latvia's careful preparations for NATO - participation in the international peace-keeping operations, increased defence budget, as well as informing public about security policy issues. NATO Assistant Secretary General emphasised that permanent partnership with the partner countries are of great importance to NATO. |