12 Sep. 2008
©Latvijas Valsts prezidenta kanceleja
NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer paid a bilateral visit to Latvia on 12 September. He met first with the Foreign Ministers of the three Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania), and then with the President of Latvia, Valdis Zatlers.
In both meetings, discussions centered around the crisis in Georgia and the implications for Euro-Atlantic security.
The Secretary General then boarded the German mine clearing vessel, the Donau, to witness the multinational mine clearing exercise Open Spirit 2008. The annual exercise brings together 14 ships from seven nations and - like NATO air policing - is a visible demonstration of NATO's presence in, and commitment to security in the region.
