0n 21 May 2003 the Speaker of the Latvian Parliament Saeima Ms Ingrīda Ūdre participated at the Vilnius Group meeting in Lithuania. The speakers of the parliaments paid a special attention to strengthening of transatlantic links, to the development of a European security and defence policy, to Iraq reconstruction and the NATO enlargement "open door" policy.
Discussing these topics, I.Ūdre stressed the importance of the transatlantic links to Latvian security. She urged not to support actions, which could generate any reasons for the differences between Europe and the United States of America. The Speaker of Saeima pointed that cooperation at the Iraq reconstruction could provide a new impulse to transatlantic relationship and could help to overcome the recent disagreements between some European countries and the United States.
For the first time the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament took part in this meeting. The heads of the parliaments of Vilnius Group signed the joint statement at the end of the meeting where it is noted that they will ask their governments to consider an invitation to Georgia to attend the next meeting of the Vilnius Group to share their NATO integration experience.