Riga to host first media conference "Eastern Partnership"

First Media Conference "The Role of Media in the Eastern Partnership" will be held on May 20 in Riga, Latvia. The Conference will be held on the eve of the Riga Summit of Heads of State and Government of the "Eastern Partnership" May 21-22.

The media conference will be attended by more than 350 media representatives, experts, civil society and politicians from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine - and the European Union.

The conference will discuss the problems of the media community in the countries of "Eastern Partnership" and the ways of their solutions. In particular, it will analyze the legal, regulatory and political environment, the integrity of the media and their role in ensuring the free flow of unbiased information in difficult circumstances.

Conference participants will have to make recommendations to improve the media environment.

Among the special guests of the conference: Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy, Vaira Vike-Freiberga - Ex-President of Latvia and the President of the Club of Madrid, Dace Melbārde - Minister of Culture of Latvia, Nils Muiznieks - Human Rights Commissioner of the Council of Europe, Dunja Mijatovic - OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, and others.

The event will also be broadcast live and www.eu2015.lv www.mfa.gov.lv, inform the organizers.

* Project of the European Union "Eastern Partnership" was approved May 7, 2009 in Prague, Ukraine, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia and Belarus and the European Union. The project focuses on the development of integration ties between the EU and the six countries of the former Soviet Union. -0-