The new Riga Graduate School of Law (RGSL) Advanced Programme in Law and Economics for the Eastern Partnership Region and Central Asia started with a group of 26 selected participants from 12 participating countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Serbia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Kosovo as well as from Latvia. The official opening took place at the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The morning programme included welcome speeches by RGSL Rector, George Ulrich, RGSL Director Karīna Kulberga, Programme Director Peter Gjortler, President of the Student Association Ričards Zvejnieks, and Programme Coordinator, Anete Jurcika.
To bring the day to a closed, participants were further welcomed at an official reception at the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Opening remarks by the Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica were followed by the Swedish Ambassador, H.E. Henrik Landerholm and the Dutch Ambassador, H.E. Pieter (Jan) Langenberg.
The three month training programme offers studies related to economic, political and legislative issues in the European Union and international environment in order to support development of a closer integration of the regions concerned with the European Union.
Teachers on the programme are from RGSL, the Latvian Institute of International Affairs, the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga, the University of Latvia, and the European Institute for Public Administration.