IAPH Africa-Europe Regional Meeting
Riga, Latvia
1-3 March 2006

Some 70 delegates including over 30 overseas guests from 16 countries gathered in Riga, Latvia, for the IAPH Africa/Europe Regional Meeting hosted by Freeport of Riga Authority, March 1-3.


On the first day of the meeting, Minister of Transport of Latvia, Mr. Ainars Slesers (center in the right photo) offered his welcome speech to the delegates, and the Prime Minister of Latvia, Mr. Aigars Kalvitis gave a keynote speech at the opening ceremony on March 2.


At the opening session, Mr. Leonids Loginovs, CEO, Freeport of Rig Authority, welcomed the particiapnts to Riga. (left in the photo below). In his speech, Prime Minister Kalvitis (right in the photo below) explained long history of the Port of Riga since the era of the Hanseatic League through Republic of Latvia as a new country since 1990 stressing its important role at the crossroads of shipping routes in the East-West transportation corridor as well as in the economy of Latvia.


At the regional meeting session, the procedure for election to fill the vacancy in the IAPH Executive Committee from the region was discussed and agreed.


Also announced were the next regional meeting which will be held in Nigeria toward the end of 2006 in collaboration with Pan-African Ports Conference (PAPC), and the meeting in 2007 scheduled for Spring of 2007 in Sines, Portugal.


Speeches and presentations made at the meeting are available at the Members Area - Library.