On Sunday, 30 May, national delegations to the NATO PA donated books on NATO, defence issues, and the culture and history of their countries to the Latvian National Library. 

“These donations of books to the National Library of Latvia are an important symbol of our solidarity as members of this transatlantic Alliance. In a complex and changing world, it is important that all of us remain current on strategic thinking as well as develop an appreciation for the events that led us to where we are today,” stressed President of the NATO PA Mr John Tanner.

“It is important for us to communicate the significance of history to our younger citizens and help them develop an understanding of the world around them,” acknowledged Mr J.Tanner.

At the book donation ceremony, Mrs Vaira Paegle, Head of the Latvian delegation to the NATO PA, said: „We live in the Information Age; therefore, at NATO meetings we spend much time discussing how to raise public awareness about security issues, the objectives of NATO and the transatlantic Alliance’s contribution in making the world a safer place for each one of us.” According to Mrs V.Paegle, an educated society is a safe society; it is well aware of the processes in the world and knows how to safeguard itself and its country.

Mr Andris Vilks, Director of the Latvian National Library, acknowledged that books donated by 18 countries are a great gift and will be a significant contribution to the Library’s stock. “For well-known reasons, for many years the Library was denied the opportunity to obtain materials about NATO; thus, this donation will be useful for the purposes of education and research,” said Mr A.Vilks. He noted that these books will be available to readers already next week.

Photos from the book donation ceremony: www.natopariga.lv/en/photos/category/33-book-donation-campaign-30052010 
Video from the event is available: www.natopariga.lv/en/video?task=viewvideo&video_id=28 
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