U.S. senators to visit Latvia :: Charter'97 :: News

Senator John McCain will lead a delegation of U.S. lawmakers on an official visit to Riga from August 20 to August 21. In addition to Senator McCain, the delegation will include Senator Susan Collins, Senator Lindsey Graham, and Senator John Sununu.

While in Latvia, the delegation will meet with President Vaira Vike-Freiberga, Foreign Minister Artis Pabriks (People`s Party), and other high-ranking Latvian public officials, Pabriks` press secretary Dagnija Stukena told LETA. The delegation will focus on expanding the already strong bilateral relations that exist between Latvia and the United States and on the two countries` shared interests in assisting democratization throughout the region, including in Belarus.

The visiting delegation will host a press conference on August 21 at 11:25 a.m. with Pabriks to address human rights concerns in Belarus and discuss American and Latvian initiatives in the region. The press conference will take place at "Grand Palace Hotel".

Senator McCain had planned on visiting Minsk prior to arriving in Riga, but Belarussian officials refused to issue visas to the U.S. delegation.