RIGA - President Vaira Vike-Freiberga has asked the residents of Riga to tolerate inconveniences related to the NATO summit in Riga, stressing that the summit will ensure Latvia's security and is a guarantee that the country will never be occupied again.
After inspecting the Olympic Sport Center on Nov. 23, the main venue of the forthcoming summit, the president said the benefits of holding the NATO summit outweighed the inconveniences.
"Let us remember when Soviet and German tanks rolled in," said the president, adding that the current events are to guarantee that "tanks will never drive here again."
The president underscored that ensuring security requires large efforts and therefore, such inconveniences should be tolerated.
The NATO summit in Riga will take place on Nov. 28-29 and will be attended by leaders of all 26 NATO member states. Two satellite conferences to the NATO summit will also be held -- the academic conference and the Young Leaders Forum.
