On 21–22 May, a meeting of the Nordic Committee for Co-operation (NSK) took place at the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office in Riga. Helding such a meeting in a Baltic country is yet another confirmation of the Nordic countries’ commitment to strengthening their presence in the region.
This is the first time the NSK has convened not only in Latvia, but in any of the Baltic countries. Last year, for the first time, the directors of all three Baltic offices of the Nordic Council of Ministers were invited to present the offices in the meeting on 5 September in Stockholm, Sweden.
At the conclusion of the two-day closed sessions, a selection of Latvian partners was invited to present local initiatives that have been inspired by Nordic experiences.
A presentation by philologist and Latvian diplomat Gints Jēgermanis was followed by Gunta Sloga who gave an overview of the efforts of the Baltic Centre for Media Excellence to strengthen the independent media landscape in Latvia. Ieva Morica and Irina Kuzņecova from the Foundation for an Open Society DOTS spoke about the conversation festival “LAMPA” and the newly established “Dialogue Movement”. Liene Valdmane, Secretary General of the European Movement Latvia, presented education projects aimed at promoting democratic values in Latvia.
Delegation from the Nordic Committee for Co-operation will also visit Daugavpils to meet with regional partners and gain insights into the situation on the eastern border area of Latvia.
The Nordic Committee for Co-operation is composed of senior civil servants from all of the Nordic countries. It is responsible for the day-to-day work of the institutions of Nordic intergovernmental co-operation, including international co-operation, as well as for the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Secretariat in Copenhagen.
