Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset will pay his first official visit to Latvia on 10 and 11 September. During the visit, the Secretary General will meet with the President of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs, Minister for Foreign Affairs Baiba Braže and Speaker of the Saeima (the Latvian parliament) Daiga Mieriņa and participate in a roundtable discussion on Ukraine’s future at the Riga Conference 2026. He will also meet with civil-society representatives.
Ukraine on the agenda
Discussions are expected to focus on the Council of Europe’s work in support of Ukraine and its future in the context of Russia’s war of aggression. Actions to strengthen democratic security and responses to new threats to democracy through the New Democratic Pact for Europe will also be explored. Other topics of discussion will include violence against women, migration and disinformation.
On 10 September, Secretary General Berset will participate in the plenary session “Ukraine’s future as a pillar of European security” at the Riga Conference, where he will highlight, among other things, the Council of Europe’s comprehensive compensation mechanism in support of Ukraine and the new Action Plan on democratic security for Ukraine.
Mr Berset will also give a guest lecture at the University of Latvia and take questions from students. In addition, he will visit the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence and the Occupation Museum of Latvia.
On 11 September, the Secretary General will attend a flower-laying ceremony at the Freedom Monument together with the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia.
