On Thursday, 22 April, volunteers who have offered their assistance during the NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s (PA) Riga Session are invited to attend the first training seminar at the Saeima. 

Vaira Paegle, Head of the Latvian delegation to the NATO PA, will address the volunteers at this first training seminar. The volunteers will learn about the history of the NATO PA, as well as its organization and activities; they will also be introduced to the basics of protocol and etiquette. 

Before the start of the NATO PA Session at the end of May, four training seminars are planned in order to give the volunteers a thorough understanding of the programme of the NATO PA Session and of their job responsibilities. 

Forty persons, mainly students from Rīga Stradiņš University, who have sufficient language proficiency, excellent communication skills, as well as the desire and commitment to get involved in helping the Session to run smoothly, have applied to work as volunteers at the NATO PA Riga Session. 

Volunteers will be involved in welcoming guests at the airport and at the hotels; they will also accompany guests during their transfer to Session venues and during excursions. Some of the young people will provide assistance to the NATO PA Secretariat during standing committee meetings and the plenary session while others will provide other necessary support and assist in technical tasks, such as copying, handing out and collecting documents.

The NATO Parliamentary Assembly is a consultative interparliamentary organisation founded in 1955 which unites parliamentarians from member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. The NATO PA provides an essential link between NATO and parliaments of the NATO member states in helping to build parliamentary and public consensus in support of Alliance policies.

For more information on the NATO PA and its Spring Session, please visit the website of the NATO PA 2010 Spring Session at www.natopariga.lv and the official website of the NATO PA at www.nato-pa.int.

Press Service
of the Public Relations Department
of the Parliament of Latvia
Phone.: +371 67087218
Mobile phone.: +371 261 36160 
E-mail: prese@saeima.lv