Today is the last day for accreditation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Spring Session which will be held on 25‒28 May in Tallinn, at Swissôtel. The committee sittings and the plenary session of the Assembly and the press centre will be open to accredited journalists during four days. Without accreditation, it will not be possible to cover the work of the Assembly on the spot.

About 300 members of parliament from 28 NATO member states will take part in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Spring Session. Together with representatives of observer and associated states and international organisations, about 600 guests are expected to arrive in Tallinn. Security problems in Middle East and North Africa will be the main issues on the agenda at the plenary session and committee meetings. The future of NATO, relations with international organisations, and cyber security and smart defence will also be discussed. On the opening day, the sitting of the NATO‒Russia Council will be held with participation of a Russian State Duma delegation.

The standing committees of the Parliamentary Assembly will hold their sittings at Swissôtel on 26 and 27 May. Reports will be by the Minister of Defence of Estonia Urmas Reinsalu, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia Urmas Paet and the Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces Riho Terras.

The President of the Republic Toomas Hendrik Ilves, the President of the Riigikogu Ene Ergma, the President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Karl Lamers and the NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow will deliver speeches at the plenary session on 28 May.

On the opening day, 25 May, at 11 a.m., the Head of the Estonian delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Marko Mihkelson and the Secretary General of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly David Hobbs will give a press conference on the upcoming session.

The accreditation form is available here. The completed form and a photo must be sent as a separate file to the following address: [email protected] (phone 6316351).

The press programme for the Spring Session and the work arrangements of the press are available at the NATO PA website of the Riigikogu.

The Riigikogu Press Service

16 May 2012