Security and Foreign Policy Forum Riga Conference 2023 open to all interested parties
The annual security and foreign policy forum Riga Conference 2023 will take place at the National Library of Latvia on 20-21 October. The main programme will be preceded by Open Admission Day that includes many side events on 19 October where professionals and the wider public who are interested in security and foreign policy topics are welcome to in-person discussions in the library.
Live stream
- 19 October / Side events
- 20 October / Day 1
- 21 October / Day 2
The conference will be opened by H.E. Edgars Rinkēvičs, President of the Republic of Latvia. Participants will be addressed by Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for the Internal Market, Krišjānis Kariņš, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia, Andris Sprūds, Minister of Defence of the Republic of Latvia, Dr. Vaira Vīķe Freiberga, President of the Republic of Latvia 1999-2007, Anna Wieslander, Director for Northern Europe at the Atlantic Council, and many others.
The conference has been one of the most important platforms for discussions on security and foreign policy in the Baltic Sea Region since 2006. This year's conference will focus on prospects for a smart wartime economy in Europe, European security including the Women, the Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, how to lead the way in times of global geopolitical turbulence, the transatlantic partnership and its strategy in the war frontier, NATO's future plans, and the challenges posed by artificial intelligence and technology. At the end of a complex geopolitical year, the conference will analyse shifting power relationships in Indo-Pacific Asia and its impact on the transatlantic community, as well as many other key elements of security and defence.
Open Admission Day, 19 October
Open Admission Day on 19 October will take place at the National Library of Latvia and online. Anyone interested in security and foreign policy are welcome to attend the discussions on sustainability and technology, the Sino-Russian Axis, defence cooperation between Latvia and the United States, sustainable business transformation, transatlantic trade relations, the governance of artificial intelligence amid global tensions, as well as on the Baltic States' role in European Union enlargement and reform by offering a regional perspective.
The Rīga Conference Future Leaders Forum
The Rīga Conference Future Leaders Forum will take place on Konrad Adenauer Foundation premises in Riga and online on 18-19 October. The forum will begin with an immersive simulation exercise, leading into a second day of which the highlights are a #PreBunkers workshop and discussions on strengthening trans-Atlantic security. The day will culminate in a plenary session addressing the war in Ukraine, the path to peace, and broader implications for European security, allowing young professionals to seamlessly transition into the main sessions of The Rīga Conference and leave their mark on the global stage.
The Riga Conference is jointly organised by the Latvian Transatlantic Organisation (LATO), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia and the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Latvia, in close cooperation with the NATO Public Diplomacy Division, the European Commission Representation in Latvia, and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. The conference is supported by the Embassy of Canada to Latvia, the Embassy of Georgia to the Republic of Latvia, the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Embassy of Israel in Latvia, the Embassy of Turkey in Latvia, the Embassy of the United States of America in Latvia, and the Nordic Council of Ministers' Office in Latvia, and our partners Riga City Council.
We would like to thank the strong Latvian companies whose substantive and organisational support to the Riga Conference demonstrates their expertise in strengthening national security infrastructure and developing sustainability. We would like to highlight the contribution of Latvenergo AS and Latvijas Mobilais Telefons to the security of Latvia and thank our long-term supporters Audi Latvija, BALTA and Riga Airport (RIX), as well as the companies Askaneli Brothers and Flora.
We would also like to thank our partners Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty for their expertise support, Latvian Television, Latvian Radio, LSM.LV, LMT Straume, TV3 Group Latvija, RE TV, Rīga TV24, DELFI, TVNET, LETA, IR magazine, Latviesi.com, sargs.lv, “The Lithuania Tribune”, iPress, Spektr, Postimees, Diplomaatia, Včasno, Visegrad Insight, the NATO Association of Canada, the University of Latvia, Riga Graduate School of Law, the Centre for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies (EDAM), the Estonian Atlantic Treaty Association (EATA) and Youth Atlantic Treaty Association (YATA), the Rīga Stradiņš University, the Baltic Defence College, and the Macdonald-Lauriel Institute.
