Translated material
Riga is under siege
NATO leaders landed in the capital of Latvia
Yesterday afternoon, high-ranking guests began arriving at Riga Airport. The leaders and ministers of defense of all countries of the North Atlantic Alliance are participating in the NATO summit that opens today. Russia was not invited, citing the fact that the internal affairs of the Alliance would be discussed in Riga. At the airport, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer was met by Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga, Prime Minister Aigar Kalvitis met with American Senator Richard Lugar.The main goal of the summit is to determine the direction of further transformation of NATO. The agenda includes a discussion of NATO's future strategy in Afghanistan, as well as a discussion on expanding the use of rapid reaction forces. The United States is the main lobbyist for the idea of transforming NATO into a global security guarantor. But Germany and France are wary of Washington’s desire to further expand the influence of the Alliance.
We can also expect news about plans to expand the Alliance, which the Balkan countries of Albania, Macedonia and Croatia, as well as the former USSR republics of Georgia and Ukraine, are seeking to join. The host of the summit, Latvia, loudly declared its desire to see Georgia in NATO. Yesterday in Riga, Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Nino Burjanadze said that the majority of the Georgian population supports the country's accession to NATO. Latvian Defense Minister Atis Slakteris said that at the Riga summit Tbilisi will still receive a signal to begin negotiations on joining the Alliance.
For ordinary Riga residents, the North Atlantic Alliance summit turned into a natural disaster. On Saturday, the Latvian Ministry of Defense asked citizens to be understanding about the noise of helicopter training flights over Riga. Fences are being erected in the city center: almost the entire historical part of the Latvian capital is turning into a restricted zone, and some public transport routes are being closed or changed for two days. Residents of Riga who are “lucky enough” to live in the restricted area will be able to enter their home only upon presentation of a passport and a special pass. The safety of high-ranking guests is ensured by at least 10 thousand people.
However, this situation has its advantages. For security reasons, November 28 and 29 have been declared public holidays in Riga, and Monday has been moved to Saturday. Many took advantage of the five-day vacation and went out of town or abroad.